Schools are some families’ best hope for Internet access, but Virginia laws are getting in the way

In Virginia, as in other states, school officials are racing to reach families by publicizing discounted offers from Internet providers, extending school Wi-Fi into parking lots, and distributing hotspot devices. And schools trying to do more face a major hurdle: long-standing laws that effectively bar county governments and public school systems from providing Internet directly to families. Virginia — along with Wisconsin and Alabama — claims the most rigorous restrictions against municipal Internet provision, according to Broadband Now. Although Virginia law technically permits local governments to offer broadband to residents, it places a minefield of regulations in the way. It forbids municipalities from pricing their services lower than established companies. It bars them from subsidizing their rates. It forces them to clear bureaucratic and procedural hurdles companies don’t face. And if a county government wants to offer voice, video and data services, the law requires that officials prove they can turn a profit within the first year of operation, an extremely difficult feat even for a private provider.