Connectivity in the Commonwealth: Virginia's Plan

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development's (DHCD) Office of Broadband released its draft Digital Opportunity Plan to the public. The plan is a first-of-its-kind undertaking to assess all facets of the digital divide in the Commonwealth and develop a strategy to close it. Ensuring broadband affordability and full broadband adoption will mean Virginia residents have affordable, reliable, and high-speed internet access, and the skills necessary to use it to its full potential. By acting on this plan, the Office of Broadband believes Virginia will be positioned to be one of the first states to achieve its goal of universal broadband and also achieve full Digital Opportunity. The vision to achieve universal broadband under the Digital Opportunity Program is to ensure that every Virginian has access to affordable, reliable, and high-speed internet service, as well as the opportunities necessary to fully participate in the economy and society. To achieve this goal, the Commonwealth will explore utilizing its forthcoming federal resources through the State Capacity Grant Program and any remaining Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) non-deployment programs to address identified needs in broadband affordability and adoption.