BEAD

Virginia Democrat Urges Spanberger to Resolve Pole Disputes

The governor can use existing rules to make BEAD funding accessible, the Democrat says.

Abby Larkin

May 28, 2026 — 1 min read

Photo of Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) delivering her State of the Commonwealth address before a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly at the Capitol on Jan. 19, 2026, in Richmond, VA. by Steve Helber/AP.

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2026 – Virginia Democrat Lynlee Thorne, a resident of rural Virginia and political director of Democratic PAC Rural GroundGame, is urging Governor Abigail Spanberger (D) to enforce rules on utility poles in an effort to make federal funding for broadband deployment payoff sooner rather than later.

The state has received more than $545 million in funding and is investing another $750 million in connectivity. However, the Virginia government has yet to deliver connections to some rural communities because of disputes over utility poles. In Virginia, Comcast was given $126 million in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (BEAD) money to help connect 13,000 locations.