Broadband Council Upset with Lack of Efforts to Pressure First Energy to Fix Poles

At the April 9^th Pocahontas County Broadband Council meeting, Corry Nipper the Thompson & Litton Company reported that First Energy (AKA: Mon Power) delays in making their poles ready to receive fiber has resulted in delays to the entire project. Nipper said that as a result of those delays, while their construction company – Quantum – has completed placing on poles 90% of the metal strands which will hold the fiber, they have only been able to complete 59% of the actual fiber attachments to poles. He explained that the fiber cannot be pulled to and attached to poles that have not yet been made ready to receive it by First Energy.

Mike Holstine stated that he is “disappointed” in the efforts of our attorney in pressuring First Energy to make their poles ready. Holstine said that this problem with First Energy poles is a state-wide issue with most other broadband projects as well. He explained that what it comes down to is this: we paid them $600,000 to do this, it was supposed to have been done first by the end of October 2025 then First Energy said it would be done by the End of January 2026 and finally they said by the end of March, and here it is, April 9^th and it still has not been done.

Holstine said that as a result of this delay, we had to pay Quantum extra money in the form of a “change order” since they had to stop work and secure their people and equipment. He feels our legal team should have pressured First Energy to reimburse the county for that extra expense as well, and our lawyer should have also filed a complaint against First Energy with the WV Public Service Commission’s (PSC’s) special group that deals with broadband utility pole issues such this, but for some reason none of that has been done.

Broadband Council Chairperson Sarah Riley said the council should be directly involved by making the following 4 contacts to try and resolve this:

1. Get on a county Commission Agenda and ask them to bring this to the attention of the PSC.
2. Call our legal team to have them put legal pressure on First Energy.
3. Contact Melissa O’Brien of Citynet to see if they, as the project’s internet service provider, can work with us to help pressure First Energy to resolve it.
4. Talk to Kelly Workman, the Director of the WV Office of Broadband, which is a division of the WV Economic Development Agency, and see if they can assist us with this issue.

Each of the members present at this virtual meeting agreed with this approach. Amanda Smarr of Region 4 said she would like to be the first to contact our lawyer about this, which was acceptable to the members.

Sarah Riley added that she cannot see any downside to applying pressure on First Energy regarding this.

Also at the meeting, it was reported that Citynet is working on it’s LEAD broadband Project in the county and expects it to be complete by the end of the year, as required.

It was also pointed out that Citynet has received its BEAD Grant Agreement and they are reviewing it. That review must be completed and returned to the state by the end of this month, and then Citynet will have 4 years to complete that project in Pocahontas County. The BEAD project is designed to ensure Broadband access is provided to every address in the county which was not able to receive it through any other grant or program.