Grants to improve Internet access
From Martinsville Bulletin by Eliza Winston
A total of $21.5 million in stimulus funds will be used to expand broadband Internet infrastructure in Southside and Southwest Virginia, the area’s lawmakers announced Monday.
U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb joined U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello and White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra on a conference call Monday to announce the two grants.
Together, the grants will add more than 575 miles of high-speed Internet infrastructure in the regions, according to a news release. The funds are designed to “bridge the technological divide,” boost economic growth and create jobs in rural areas, the release added.
The grants were awarded through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and are funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
A total of $21.5 million in stimulus funds will be used to expand broadband Internet infrastructure in Southside and Southwest Virginia, the area’s lawmakers announced Monday.
U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb joined U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello and White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra on a conference call Monday to announce the two grants.
Together, the grants will add more than 575 miles of high-speed Internet infrastructure in the regions, according to a news release. The funds are designed to “bridge the technological divide,” boost economic growth and create jobs in rural areas, the release added.
The grants were awarded through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and are funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The largest grant, awarded to the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative, is a $16 million infrastructure grant that will be used to add 465 miles of new fiber in the region. That will make it possible for 121 kindergarten through 12th-grade schools in southern Virginia to connect to an existing 800-mile high-speed network, Chopra said.
By improving connection speeds for the schools, the grant will allow students to take part in distance learning and virtual classroom opportunities, the release said.
A list of all the affected schools was not available Monday. However, Lawrence Strickling, administrator for NTIA, said that schools in Henry County and Martinsville are included.
The expanded fiber network also will make it possible for Internet service providers to offer service to more local customers at lower prices, Chopra said.
The second grant, awarded to the Virginia Tech Foundation, will provide $5.5 million to add 110 miles of fiberoptic network between Blacksburg and Bedford. The network will cross six Appalachian counties and will provide direct high-speed connections to Virginia Tech’s main campus in Blacksburg and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke.
The new broadband infrastructure also could help bring jobs to the region, Warner said.
