Arlington (VA) looks to bridge digital divide with county-owned fiber network

Arlington County, Virginia, is surveying residents and businesses to understand how they use broadband internet service and if their access can be improved. The survey is part of a $250,000 study that could inform ways to bridge the digital divide between residents with good internet connectivity and those without it, using the county’s existing fiber-optic network, dubbed ConnectArlington. Arlington has an extensive fiber network, which it installed seven years ago to provide connectivity for county and Arlington Public Schools facilities, support public safety needs, and encourage economic development. The study will also review a license agreement for leasing strands along an 864-count fiber line dedicated to economic development. The concept, intended to give local companies higher-speed internet at lower costs than big-name providers like Comcast, has languished because would-be providers found the agreement onerous. Survey questions include how long respondents have used the internet and how much it contributes to their jobs, whether they use broadband for telehealth services if they’re satisfied with the speed and cost, as well as demographic questions. Erika Moore—a spokeswoman for Arlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development—says the county has studied the digital divide before but not on this comprehensive of a scale, but past research targeted low-income housing and relied on Federal Communications Commission and US Census data. This “did not provide the level of detail needed and gave no indication of service quality, bandwidth availability, provider competition, or digital literacy needs,” she said.