Loudoun supervisors allocate $12 million to broadband expansion

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in favor of a measure that addresses a lack of reliable high speed internet, primarily in western Loudoun, VA. As part of the county’s Emergency Broadband Implementation Plan, the county administrator was directed to apply for a Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) grant in partnership with All Points Broadband for the extension of broadband into unserved portions of the County. The board allocated $12.425 million in federal funding from the American Recovery Plan Act as the county’s grant match. As part of the board’s recent plan to hasten the deployment of broadband to underserved and unserved areas, county staff has provided quarterly updates to the board with recommendations to prioritize and accelerate the expansion of broadband services to residential areas. The Department of Housing and Community Development, which will review the VATI grant application, will notify all parties of “challenge determination” on December 3. The awards announcement will be in late December 2021.