Virginia Broadband Leader: How I Deal With Internet Service Providers Attempting to Change Contracts

As grant funds rolled out from Virginia's Department of Housing and Community Development toward broadband access programs across the state, Dr. Tamarah Holmes, director of the broadband office at the agency, found herself on the phone constantly with internet service provider lawyers rebuffing attempts to change the terms of their contracts. Dr. Holmes said that agreements with ISPs are mostly carried out on the local level, and that they use a standard contract with all ISPs that does not get customized per provider.