Bristol Virginia Utilities: A Case Study

Pioneering Spirit

This Case Study was originally published in LastMILE in March 2008.

The trials and tribulations of our forefathers provide us the lessons from which we can learn to better live our lives. As the self-described first municipal fiber to-the-home (FTTH) network provider, Bristol, Va., is proud to provide its own lessons from the challenges the city endured to bring its citizens triple-play services.

A city of just more than 17,000 with the Virginia-Tennessee state line bisecting Main Street to separate it from its Tennessee twin, Bristol hitched its wagon to the fiber-optic revolution in the late 1990s. The city's utility department Bristol Virginia Utilities (BVU), began deploying fiber and built a data center in 1999 for governmental use and in the hopes that a carrier would be willing to provide broadband services to its residents, as Virginia state laws prohibited the city from doing so itself.

However, that carrier never materialized and BVU and its newly formed Optinet division embarked on a long journey through many legal obstacles on its way to becoming a pioneer of municipally owned FTTH broadband networks. BVU/Optinet has been providing data and phone services since January 2003 and, after hurdling an injunction by the local cable provider, Bristol has provided cable services since July '03.

Since then, BVU has expanded its services beyond just its own citizens to assist its region in economic development and guide other cities along the path of municipal broadband.

BVU created another division, Focus, which aside from performing the necessary - and it is necessary - marketing of services, the division also comprises the operations and consulting aspects of the business.

The leadership that Bristol has displayed in the FTTH arena is the primary reason why the city and BVU were honored with the 2008 Last Mile Smart Community Award for a municipality with a population of less than 200,000.

Bristol's fiber network was the result of consulting with Atlantic Engineering Group and BVU/Optinet network architect Mark Lane. The network is a passive optical network (PON) with 250 miles of fiber backbone and 675 total miles of fiber plant infrastructure. (Read more about Bristol's fiber network and its legal battles in "Birthplace of FTTH" from the July/August 2007 issue of Last Mile or online at www.lastmileonline.com.)

Local Loyalty

At the time that BVU/Optinet was finally able to provide cable services, there were 3,000 customers standing by on a waiting list. All were activated in approximately six weeks. BVU is the provider of all the services on its network and that has led the department to realize just how important it is to have top-notch customer service and experienced personnel, says Sandy Crusenberry, executive director of BVU/Focus, the marketing, consulting and operations division of the utility department.

"What we've done consistently is tout the fact that we're local," Crusenberry says. "When you call in, you know you're getting someone who's your neighbor, and people have really reacted well to that."

The local customer service aspect has played a large role in BVU's marketing campaign. Its original catchphrase was "Why wouldn't you switch?" and featured local faces, people who were known in the community and who are still with the company.

Those faces solidified in people's minds that these were the people taking care of them, Crusenberry says, and that notion gave the people confidence to switch their service to BVU.

"It's not easy to convince a person to switch," she says. "They've got to take time off work. They have to go through all the actions that it takes. It's scary for many of them. So when they feel that connection with a local person, it eases that tension."

BVU introduced competition to the service provider marketplace and offered more affordable rates. The incumbent responded by lowering its rates, but only on the Virginia side of town where BVU operates. The locals responded by throwing their support behind Bristol's homegrown services.