USDA Invests $48 Million in Broadband for Rural Virginia Communities

The US Department of Agriculture has invested $48 million in high-speed broadband infrastructure for more than 22,600 rural households in Virginia. Wilkes Telephone Membership Corporation Inc. will use a $48 million ReConnect Program loan to construct a fiber-to-the-premises network encompassing 1,847 square miles. The service area is expected to reach 22,604 households, 19 educational facilities, eight critical community facilities and one health care center in Halifax, Charlotte, Lunenberg, Mecklenburg, Brunswick, King and Queen, Bedford and Pittsylvania (VA) counties.