Washington County, VA

Bristol Virginia Utilities' pile of accolades just keeps getting bigger.
In 2009, the Internet, phone and cable TV provider was placed in the national spotlight when it was awarded the Community Broadband Fiber Network of the Year by the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors. The award was the result of BVU's implementation of an all-fiber broadband network, which connects homes directly to fiber-optic cable and vastly improves connectivity speeds of Internet, phone and cable services.
"The simplest way to describe an all-fiber-optic network is to say the technology uses light instead of electricity to carry signals to access the Internet and transport data, video and phone," says Stacey Bright, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Bristol Virginia Utilities. "An all-fiber network is made of optical fibers, hair-thin strands of glass that are specially designed to trap and transmit light pulses. This technology is unique because it can carry signals at extremely high speeds over long distances without the signals being degraded."
Many broadband providers still use DSL, or digital subscriber loop, to access the Internet, which uses copper telephone lines to send signals and greatly limits bandwidth, or the speed that signals can be transmitted.
BVU's investment in fiber-optic technology has made it a global model for other small governments that run public utilities and has won the company numerous other honors.
"Perhaps the most important accolade came in 2009 when we became the only American city among seven finalists globally to be named to the Top Seven Most Intelligent Communities of the Year," Bright says. "This was an extremely competitive award, with more than 400 communities around the world submitting nominations."
In 2010, BVU was named to the Smart21 Intelligent Community list, another high honor. It was also recognized by former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine with a Governor's Technology Award, and it received the prestigious Gold Award for Municipal Excellence from the National League of Cities in 2008.
Staying on the cutting edge of technology isn't BVU's only concern. The company is also dedicated to being a good steward of the environment, which prompted it to partner with Alpha Natural Resources in 2009 to plant 16,500 trees, one for every BVU customer.
"We planted trees everywhere – at parks, colleges and schools – and we made sure all of them were environmentally sustainable and gave back lots of oxygen," says Gail Childress, director of community outreach for Bristol Virginia Utilities. "We also made sure they were trees that would make a positive difference, like fruit trees, magnolias, pines, willows and flowering crabapples."
The project did more than beautify the community. It also benefited electric customers by creating shade and windbreaks, naturally reducing energy costs.
"Strategically planting trees around distribution lines can also reduce storm-related electric outages," Bright says. "And having more trees is just good for our environment because they reduce carbon dioxide emissions, a common greenhouse gas."
In May 2009, BVU and Alpha Natural Resources received the Golden Tree Award from the American Public Power Association for the project. Several other groups also helped achieve the goal, including the Bristol Virginia Parks and Recreation Department, Keep Southwest Virginia Beautiful, the City of Bristol and the Chamber of Commerce's Keep Bristol Beautiful program.