Central Virginia using tobacco settlement money for broadband

Some of Virginia's "tobacco settlement" money has helped pay for broadband networks. "Broadband deployment is the commission's largest single economic development effort, with aggregate grants to date totaling over $86 million," according to its 2007 annual report. Fast Internet access, through a strong broadband network in rural areas, is a requirement for employers who may be thinking about relocating to the region or expanding their local operations, economic-development officials say.