The authority to create better broadband in Roanoke

There is no time to waste in building a broadband Internet structure that will keep the Roanoke Valley competitive. Without it, the region will wither and watch futilely while others whiz by. They already are. Necessity in catching up with other areas with super speeds and capabilities is evident the haste that public officials in Roanoke, Salem, Roanoke County and Botetourt County have come to agree: They must join forces so that all can thrive. They plan now to not just catch up, but to build a better, quicker network than all others.

Roanoke City Council agreed to join with its neighbors to form the Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority that will be charged with building a broadband infrastructure capable of supporting the needs of business, industry, education and health care. The other localities are expected soon to join in the formation of the authority with a five-person board — the city managers and county administrators holding four seats and a citizen the fifth — that will guide the development of the infrastructure. The authority is structured so that its board can work with Virginia Tech and other colleges, Vinton and the Western Virginia Water Authority in designing the network and billing structure, but it cannot extend service into other political jurisdictions without approval by the four localities.