Roanoke Times
Can Starlink solve Virginia’s broadband challenges? (Roanoke Times)
Submitted by benton on Tue, 03/23/2021 - 20:05Pandemic highlighted urgency to get Virginians broadband, and the General Assembly is investing
The Virginia General Assembly has spent more than $130 million to tackle the digital divide, and lawmakers are considering a few measures to get more people connected, including another big investment to help telecommunication companies and municipal broadband authorities build internet infrastructure across the commonwealth. The House of Delegates and Senate both want to put $50 million into the budget for the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative, one of the primary mechanisms the commonwealth uses to reach areas where there is no broadband.
Brotman: Digital privacy laws should reflect our work from home pandemic lives (Roanoke Times)
Submitted by benton on Wed, 02/24/2021 - 12:46Virginia is working on getting people internet access, but that plan doesn’t include affordability
About 600,000 Virginians, mostly in Southwest, Southside and the Tidewater areas, lack access to broadband. Even where some theoretically have access to it, they can’t afford it. And Virginia doesn’t currently have a plan to address affordability. “The affordability problem remains out there, and it’s significant,” Evan Feinman, the governor’s chief broadband adviser, told the Virginia Broadband Advisory Council.
Editorial: Why are some rural Republicans voting against more rural broadband in Virginia? (Roanoke Times)
Submitted by benton on Fri, 10/16/2020 - 12:49
Moving forward together: Supporting state and local broadband leadership
In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, the General Assembly is considering Gov. Northam’s request to increase funding to bring better broadband to all Virginians. Such support is important, as students stay home and learn, adults stay home and work, and seniors stay home even as they visit their doctor. Funding for broadband would be an important step — and a wake-up call to the federal government. Virginia’s broadband challenges are multifaceted. In rural areas, nearly a third of households have no access to broadband.
Roanoke County (VA), with 20% of population lacking high-speed internet access, seeking proposals for broadband expansion (Roanoke Times)
Submitted by benton on Wed, 06/24/2020 - 11:30Editorial: How does Klobuchar's rural plan rate? (Roanoke Times)
Submitted by benton on Sun, 03/01/2020 - 14:33Government-subsidized internet crosses political boundaries in Southwest Virginia
Joe McNamara is heading to the Virginia House of Delegates with the promises of a red-blooded Republican, from reining in spending to avoiding tax increases. But the former Roanoke County supervisor is also a supporter of municipal broadband, where taxpayer funds are used to subsidize a government-owned internet service provider that competes directly with private companies like Comcast and Verizon. “It’s definitely, definitely something that whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, independent it really makes no difference,” McNamara said.