January 25, 2023
Expansion includes county-wide access to fiber-optic network for every home and business
Chesapeake, VA – Every home and business in New Kent County will have access to ultrafast, reliable, symmetrical internet service across a 100% fiber-optic network thanks to a partnership with Cox Communications and a $34M investment.
“As the fastest growing locality in Virginia, expanding broadband access is a top priority for the leaders of New Kent County,” said Chairman Thomas W. Evelyn, New Kent County Board of Supervisors. “This is a major step forward and the partnership with Cox will help to ensure that our community thrives well into the future.”
The first phase of the public-private partnership between the county and Cox will enable the buildout of services to approximately 3,000 residents that currently do not have broadband access. The project is set to begin in September and will ensure all county residents can experience the opportunities presented by an increasingly connected world, including access to education, healthcare services, and employment opportunities. Anticipated completion for this phase is 2024 but residents will have access to Cox services as soon as the buildout in their neighborhood is complete.
The second phase of the partnership will enable the buildout of a fiber-optic network to the remaining residents and businesses to ensure everyone in the county has access to the new network. This project will create a pathway to providing multi-gigabit symmetrical speeds to the home that will power the next generation of internet users. Together the two phases represent a combined $34M investment, with $16.1M from the County and an additional $17.8M from Cox, to build out a total of 566.7 fiber miles across the County.
“Connectivity is at the heart of everything we do. Our team here in Virginia has been focused on providing the most powerful connection - high-speed internet - to communities across our state. We thank New Kent County for putting their confidence in Cox to bring these important services to their residents,” said J.D. Myers, II, Senior Vice President and Virginia region manager, Cox Communications.
Cox has already begun engineering and design necessary to start the permitting for this fiber network and is working with property owners to obtain necessary access approvals. Residents in New Kent will soon see work commencing in their community and those living in phase one areas can visit https://www.cox.com/getfiber to express interest in Cox services and speed up the installation process. In addition to powerful high-speed internet, residents will have access to voice, TV, and home automation services, as well as a growing suite of business offerings.
Cox will make every effort to minimize the construction impact where and when possible and will communicate the expansion and progress of their work with residents through local media, and direct communications from Cox.
Expansion in New Kent is part of Cox’s overall commitment of a multibillion-dollar annual infrastructure investment over the next several years to build a 10-Gigabit capable, fiber-based network. Breakthrough enhancements to cable’s broadband DOCSIS 4.0 technology combined with expanded fiber to the premise will enable Cox to deliver multi-Gigabit symmetrical speeds in the coming years to both residential and business customers to support a growing host of high bandwidth applications.
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About New Kent County
New Kent County, Virginia was formed in 1654, by the House of Burgesses when it was carved from what was then York County. Today the 212-square mile county is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors and is home to over 23,000 residents. New Kent is recognized as the #1 fastest growing locality in Virginia. Between 2010 and 2020, New Kent's population grew by almost 5,000, an increase of 26.5 percent.
About Cox Communications
Cox Communications is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through technology. The largest private broadband company in America, we proudly serve six and a half million homes and businesses across 18 states. We're dedicated to empowering others to build a better future and celebrate diverse products, people, suppliers, communities and the characteristics that make each one unique. Cox Communications is the largest division of Cox Enterprises, a family-owned business founded in 1898 by Governor James M. Cox.
