CLAY COUNTY – Residents in rural areas of Clay County are now connecting to faster broadband internet service.

The Board of County Commissioners voted last year to approve a significant measure with Comcast to extend broadband service into areas with either spotty or no internet service.

In a recent interview with Clay Today, Commission Chair Betsy Condon, whose district includes Keystone Heights and Clay Hill, provided an update on Phase 1 and Phase 2 portions of the project, which will be owned, operated and maintained by Comcast.

The Phase 1 portion of the project will provide internet service to the northwest portion of Clay Hill and the area of Keystone Heights north of County Road 214 and State Road 21 toward McRae. Many of the homes in that area now have service.

Condon said by April 10, the project connecting Clay residents to the much-needed essential service will have reached approximately 1,200 homes in the Clay Hill area and another 600-to-800 homes in the southern part of the county.

Condon said only about 30% of homes in the Keystone Heights area were connected during Phase 1 due to permitting delays with Clay Electric Cooperative lines.

“It is a little bit behind schedule and (that) is in a more compacted area,” she said.

Condon maintains the first phase is still on track for timely completion.

“I think it’s been on track. Keystone Heights does not have as many homes, but it is a much more rural area that has been underserved. The whole project is expected to be right on schedule,” she said.

The commissioner said Comcast had honored its commitment dates well within the time frames.

Meanwhile, the landing page for the Clay County Broadband Project on the county website maintains that the Phase 1 portion of the project is “completed.”

Condon said Phase 2, which will encompass more of the Keystone Heights area, is set for an official timeline of two years, although she hopes it will be completed ahead of schedule.

After all future improvements, including Phase 3, are done, 96% to 99% of the county will have access fast, affordable, high-speed internet, Condon said.

She said that contract language for Phase 2 is being completed “as we speak,” which would then go through the engineering, construction, and permitting process. Comcast was awarded grants for Phase 2 of the project through the State Department of Economic Opportunity, Condon said.

As the process unfolds, county commissioners continue to come across some roadblocks that come with the unique circumstances of connecting rural areas to the world wide web. For example, Condon said officials learned Penney Farms was formerly under the contract of a small, independent provider that went out of business.

The county is working with the town so it can be part of future phases.

While high-speed internet infrastructure is a challenge for parts of the county, much of the project is done, so it should provide relief for several residents struggling with connection issues.

Condon said a college student enrolled at St. Johns River State College in Orange Park who was taking an online class had to go to the library or work in the McDonald’s parking lot to be connected. Another example is a Middleburg-based Telehealth nurse who worked remotely had to find a hotspot. And a dock builder in McRae had to use city wifi to conduct estimates via computer software.

“There are a lot of underserved residents in Clay County and my district, so I want to put them on an equal playing field with everyone else in the 21st Century. Internet is an essential part of family life,” Condon said.