Rural Virginia gets a $14 million boost for new broadband
Published by StateScoop on March 29, 2019
By Colin Wood
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday the distribution of rural broadband grants totaling $4.9 million that the state says will help about 15,000 households and 300 businesses access the internet.
The 11 grants, awarded through the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative, will go to internet service providers serving 12 rural counties throughout the commonwealth. In addition to the grants, local governments and private companies will provide $9.2 million in matching funds, pushing the overall investment to just over $14 million.
“This funding will help to close the digital divide in Virginia by putting in place the necessary infrastructure to expand affordable and reliable broadband service to currently unserved rural communities,” Northam said in a press release.
Nelson Moe, the state’s chief information officer, told StateScoop that broadband is important because slower connections aren’t adequate for many modern applications.
“Connecting the ‘last mile’ has been the holy grail for technologists and America,” Moe said.
Read the original article here
By Colin Wood
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday the distribution of rural broadband grants totaling $4.9 million that the state says will help about 15,000 households and 300 businesses access the internet.
The 11 grants, awarded through the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative, will go to internet service providers serving 12 rural counties throughout the commonwealth. In addition to the grants, local governments and private companies will provide $9.2 million in matching funds, pushing the overall investment to just over $14 million.
“This funding will help to close the digital divide in Virginia by putting in place the necessary infrastructure to expand affordable and reliable broadband service to currently unserved rural communities,” Northam said in a press release.
Nelson Moe, the state’s chief information officer, told StateScoop that broadband is important because slower connections aren’t adequate for many modern applications.
“Connecting the ‘last mile’ has been the holy grail for technologists and America,” Moe said.
Read the original article here