No matter where you live, rural broadband is a big issue in Virginia

Broadband deployment stands to be an economic game-changer for rural and suburban communities, and the commonwealth must continue aggressively investing in bridging the digital divide. The economic implications of broadband expansion, while not necessarily as high profile as a new corporate headquarters, are staggering. State support to build out broadband infrastructure is repaid many times over by any measure of economic outcomes. But access to the Internet goes beyond dollars and cents. This is an equity issue. Today’s students need access to the learning tools the Internet offers whether they live in Floyd or Fairfax. Likewise, innovations in telehealth are unavailable to patients without high-speed Internet at home. Lives can be drastically improved and even saved by increasing broadband access. Broadband is increasingly comparable with roads or electricity — commerce and communication depend on them. Imagine how any modern community would fare without access to roads or electricity. Businesses would suffer. Homes would be sold at lower cost. Young people would move away. These are the challenges facing Virginia’s rural communities, where there are an estimated 600,000 people without access to the Internet. 

As members of the House Appropriations Committee, we took action to address the digital divide in the budget, increasing the state broadband grant program fivefold from a $4 million to $19 million. This $19 million grant round closed in early September and received more than $43 million in requests from 55 different localities. This is the fourth year in a row the program has received more than double in requests than available funds.

[Mark Sickles, a Democrat, and Nick Rush, a Republican, serve in the Virginia House of Delegates]