| Type | Municipal |
|---|---|
| Industry | Utility Telecommunications |
| Founded | Bristol, Virginia 1945 |
| Headquarters | Bristol, Virginia, United States |
| Area served | Bristol, Virginia Washington County, Virginia |
| Employees | 175 |
| Divisions | BVU OptiNet BVU FOCUS |
| Website | BVU Homepage |
Bristol Virginia Utilities (BVU) is a utility system that provides electric, water, wastewater and fiber-optic telecommunication and information services to the City of Bristol, Virginia and the surrounding area. On July 1, 2010, BVU moved from being a board under the direct control of the City of Bristol, to form a new subdivision of state government.[1]
BVU now obtains electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority. It had formerly obtained power from American Electric Power and earlier from Cynergy Corporation, and prior to 1998, from the TVA.[2]
BVU OptiNet is a nonprofit division of BVU, launched in 2003, that provides telecommunication services to customers in areas around Southwest Virginia. OptiNet is known for its pioneering work in the area of municipal broadband throughout the area. BVU is acknowledged as the first municipal utility in the United States to deploy and all-fiber network offering the triple play of video, voice and data services. Offering digital cable, telephone service and high-speed internet from a remote-area utility provider makes BVU exceptional, even on a global level.[3]
BVU FOCUS is an innovative consulting, operations and management firm operating under the umbrella of BVU. FOCUS currently employs a total of 63 persons – 40 of which operate a remote facility in Mooresville, North Carolina. BVU was the first municipal entity in the United States to build a fiber-to-the-premise network offering the “triple-play” of telephone, cable and Internet services. With BVU's experience and proven results, BVU FOCUS offers customized levels of assistance to municipal entities interested in finding comprehensive solutions to meet their communities´ specific needs for delivering telecommunications and information services and/or assisting with their traditional utility operations.[4]