Pandemic highlighted urgency to get Virginians broadband, and the General Assembly is investing

Source: 
Coverage Type: 

The Virginia General Assembly has spent more than $130 million to tackle the digital divide, and lawmakers are considering a few measures to get more people connected, including another big investment to help telecommunication companies and municipal broadband authorities build internet infrastructure across the commonwealth. The House of Delegates and Senate both want to put $50 million into the budget for the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative, one of the primary mechanisms the commonwealth uses to reach areas where there is no broadband. The program requires funded projects to be public-private partnerships, with a local government partnering with a private sector internet service provider to bring service to that community. The budget also includes a provision to allow municipal broadband authorities to apply for VATI grants without a private sector partner, meaning the authorities would serve as the internet service provider on the application rather than a company like Cox or Shentel. This has been a priority for the taxpayer-funded Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority, which has built more than 100 miles of fiber backbone and is moving into residential service.


Pandemic highlighted urgency to get Virginians broadband, and the General Assembly is investing