Curtis Wynn, President and CEO of Roanoke Electric Cooperative (REC, headquartered in Aulander), has announced the extension of REC’s CrowdFiber campaign to determine the best usage for excess capacity on the Roanoke Connect fiber network currently under construction in the counties of Bertie, Northampton, Halifax, Hertford, and Gates.

“We started planning and implementation of our Roanoke Connect project in 2014,” said Wynn, who has been the president of Roanoke Electric Cooperative since 1997. “Our original goal was to construct our own fiber network connecting each of our substations throughout the region, which would let us take care of our internal operation needs. What started out as a project aimed at predicting and reducing outages, protecting our electric system from vandalism and theft, and helping member-owners manage energy and reduce their bills has become something more, however. We see the potential to use this fiber to bring reliable, high-speed Internet to the residents and businesses in our area who desperately need it.”

Marshall Cherry, COO, agrees with the potential for this project to better the region overall.

“Many of the people within our five county region rely on slow Internet speeds that simply can’t meet 21st century technological requirements – if they have Internet at all,” Cherry pointed out. “We’re hoping that if we can get the word out to the public about this campaign more people will access our online survey to report on the current services available to them, test their Internet speeds, and report on their interest in having other service options available to them. If we can show enough of a need and desire for bringing additional providers into the area, it will open up the possibility for us to contact carriers and increase their interest in using excess bandwidth on our network, potentially bringing badly needed competition to our region.”

“Even people without Internet access at home can take our survey,” Wynn added. “They can log on at their local library, enter in their home address, and skip the bandwidth test completely. We can see that data and will know there isn’t a speed test because there’s no Internet in the home. They can also fill out a paper survey at our upcoming events. And you can always see our upcoming events on our Facebook page.”

Wynn and Cherry are hoping to reach as many residents as possible before the campaign ends in December. With expectations that the Roanoke Connect network will be complete in early 2017, it is crucial for REC to determine the level of need and interest within the five counties for increasing Internet availability. Among other outreach plans, REC is hoping to engage the local school districts in alerting parents to the CrowdFiber survey, as educational requirements necessitating home access to high speed Internet will only increase in the future. Additionally, they hope to engage as many local businesses as possible to help support and grow the region’s economy.

More information can always be found by visiting the Cooperative’s website or Facebook page. The CrowdFiber campaign can be accessed at roanoke.crowdfiber.com.