November 28, 2005 Omaha, NE -- Adesta announced that it has begun construction on a $7.8 million contract it was awarded from the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative, Inc. (MBC) to procure and install 300 miles of fiber-optic cable in Southside Virginia. The cable is being installed by both aerial and buried construction methods primarily along U.S. Route 58 from Emporia to Stuart, Virginia as part of MBC's Regional Broadband Initiative (RBI) project.
The fiber will connect to the northern 400-mile section of the RBI also under construction by Adesta under a separate contract. The project's completion date is set for June 2006.
MBC says the RBI will create an advanced, open-access telecommunications infrastructure and provide access to broadband communications services to an estimated 700,000 Virginians and more than 19,000 businesses in the region. According to MBC, the project will also provide long-term economic revitalization to promote economic development, attract technology-based industries, and create new jobs for the region. Virginia communities effected by the project include Stuart, Martinsville, Rocky Mount, Ferrum, Danville, South Boston, Keysville, Clarksville, South Hill, Lawrenceville, and Emporia.
"Adesta is pleased to expand our relationship with MBC and continue our work with the RBI project," comments Bob Sommerfeld, president of Adesta. "We're proud to be one of the first companies to recognize the potential in Southside Virginia for economic growth and development."
MBC is a non-profit cooperative established with funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Authority (EDA) and the Virginia Tobacco Commission to manage the RBI project. The co-op is funded in part by a $6 million grant from the EDA, which is one of the largest parcels of cash the department has delivered to any single project.
"The MBC network is a critical component in the economic development initiative of Southside Virginia," remarks Tad Deriso, general manager of MBC. "It will enable communities and their industrial and technology parks to connect with the outside world and allow telecommunications carriers to cost effectively deliver services to areas that need advanced telecommunications services. Constructing over 700 miles of fiber is no small challenge and we have been most pleased with our partnership with Adesta."