BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Monitor Editor
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— A representative of Comcast told Clay County Commissioners that residents north of Keystone Heights, currently without broadband access, could sign up for new internet service as early as mid-2023.
Bill Ferry told commissioners during their Dec. 13 meeting that the county’s $2 million project to extend the cable provider’s fiber network into the rural areas of Maxville-Middleburg-Clay Hill and Keystone Heights is ahead of schedule.
“Construction is going along quite swiftly even though we have a timeline of, I want to say, a year or two years to complete it,” Ferry said. “We’re moving along quite quickly. In fact, we hope to see some customers being able to be signed up in the Clay Hill area as soon as the first quarter, and that may very well mean January.”
“We’re still in the permitting phase for (the Keystone Heights area), but as soon as that’s done, we’ll start construction there,” Ferry said. “Maybe in the second quarter of 2023, we may see some real progress and most likely start seeing some customers in that area (connected) as well.”
Ferry said that earlier in December, Comcast applied for another state grant that would allow it to expand its project into more rural Clay County areas, including McRae and Virginia Village: between Green Cove Springs and Palatka.
“That’s about a five or six-million-dollar grant,” he said. “It’s a mix. Comcast puts up well over half of that, if not more.”
Ferry said the State Office of Broadband anticipates two additional funding cycles.
“We’re going to watch those very closely along with county staff, and we’re going to see if, with some of those, the criteria will change.”
Ferry added that Comcast would like to expand its project into the Penney Farms area. However, that expansion is not economically feasible under the state’s current criteria.
“There’s another provider there, and I think they may not be servicing that area,” he said of Penney Farms, “but we’re really working to do this.” We’re really excited to do this.”
Comcast is now working on permitting to expand broadband coverage east and north of Keystone Heights, surrounding Gator Bone, White Sands and Deer Springs Lakes, in addition to Little Lake Geneva.
