BISHOPVILLE – Worcester County’s broadband partner kicked off efforts to expand access to high speed internet in the north end of the county with a ribbon cutting this week.
Talkie Communications, the company that’s partnered with Worcester County on broadband efforts, is now working to install fiber in the Bishopville area. Up until now, the company has been working solely in Pocomoke.
“I think it’ll be a big help for the whole county,” Commissioner Jim Bunting said following the ribbon cutting. “They’ll have 37 miles in before the end of summer.”
Representatives from Talkie have been working since 2021 to bring broadband to rural Worcester County. They updated the commissioners this week on their efforts, which started in the Dun Swamp and Colona Road areas of Pocomoke. Talkie signed up 18 customers there. Andrew DeMattia said the return on investment for the project was 250 years.
“Some of the areas are really challenging when it comes to rural deployment,” he said. “It is a lot of money.”
On Dun Swamp Road, all but one resident signed up for service. On Colona Road, not even half signed up. Andre DeMattia said that was unusual, as typically most residents of an unserved area signed up for service once it was offered. He added that federal and state subsidies could cover most of the cost of the company’s cheapest—$69 a month—package.
Despite the limited connections in Pocomoke, the company wants to continue its efforts in Worcester and is seeking grants to help. Andre DeMattia said there was $22 million in grants up for grabs that the company would apply for. He said the company was also going to ask the county for some funding, as it was moving forward with installing fiber in Bishopville, an area that is not eligible for grant funding. That project—installing 30 miles of fiberoptics that can serve more than 400 customers—is expected to cost $2.3 million.
Andrew DeMattia said that costs had gone up for Talkie just as they had for everyone but that the company wanted to continue working in Worcester.
“We’re chipping away at it,” he said.
Commissioner Josh Nordstrom, who represents the southern end of the county, asked why Talkie had focused on some of the most sparsely populated parts of Pocomoke. Andre DeMattia said the company selected the areas it did because they were eligible for grant funding. He added that Bishopville was the most populated part of the county considered not served by broadband.
Commissioner Ted Elder suggested Talkie explore moving on to Whaleyville after Bishopville. Andrew DeMattia indicated that every cabinet the company installed made it easier for them to move farther into the county.
“Once we have a remote cabinet, it’s easy to build off something that exists,” he said.
Bunting said a handful of residents attended Tuesday’s ribbon cutting ceremony and he got calls afterward from several others who are eager to sign up.
“They’re really excited about it coming to the area,” he said.
Bunting said officials were grateful for the interest Talkie had in Worcester County, as the company and its efforts to get grants meant the cost of bringing broadband to Worcester County would be far less than the $54 million initially estimated.
“If they can get some more of these grants they’re going to try to expand from Bishopville toward Whaleyville…,” he said. “So far we’ve done this with grants and ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act funds). Talkie is really working with us.”
