Blue Ridge District Supervisor Billy Martin thanked first responders, educators, medical professionals and other essential workers for helping keep life relatively normal during the pandemic.
548 New Addresses Including 30 Businesses Part of Fiber Expansion Project
BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) has awarded a grant of $1,364,337 to Lumos and Botetourt County to assist with the expansion of fiber in Botetourt County. The grant will be used as part of a project to install fiber to provide high-speed internet to 548 new addresses, including 30 businesses. Approximately 52% of the cost of the project is being funded by the VATI grant, and the remainder will be contributed in partnership with Lumos, a premier provider of fiber broadband internet, and Botetourt County.
“This expansion makes it possible for more people in Botetourt County to have fast, reliable fiber internet, which has become a necessity because so many of us are working and learning from home. We are very much looking forward to this new project and excited to bring fiber optic broadband to more households in Botetourt County,” said Diego Anders
Governor Northam Announces More Than $29.6 Million to Expand Broadband Access
RICHMOND Governor Ralph Northam today announced that Virginians living and working in 11 localities will gain access high-speed internet thanks to more than $29.6 million in grants awarded through the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI). The funding will support five projects, connecting more than 11,700 households, businesses, and anchor institutions to broadband service, and leveraging over $34 million in private and local investments.
Administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), VATI provides targeted financial assistance to extend broadband service to areas that are currently unserved by a provider. In his 2020 budget, Governor Northam made an historic investment of nearly $50 million in VATI funding. His proposed budget invests an additional $15 million in fiscal year 2022 to maintain this significant level of funding.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (Governor Ralph Northam / Virginia)
Share Jan 26, 2021 | STATESCOOP
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday announced the award of $29.6 million in grants to expand broadband access in 11 communities across the commonwealth.
The funding, provided through the state Department of Housing and Community Development, targets regions currently underserved by high-speed internet providers. The funding is being distributed as part of a $50 million commitment made by Northam as part of his 2020 budget, along with an additional $15 million proposed for Virginia’s 2022 budget.
The state estimated the investment will reach more than 11,700 households.
“Now more than ever, we must ensure that Virginians in every part of our Commonwealth have access to reliable, high-speed internet,” Northam said in a press release. “With these grants, we will help bridge the digital divide in unserved communities and provide thousands of househo
Carroll Foy releases COVID-19 economic recovery plan
Published Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, 11:07 am
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Jennifer Carroll Foy
Virginia, on the aggregate, has done reasonably well economically holding up through COVID-19, but more than 200,000 people who lost their jobs because of COVID are still out of work.
Jennifer Carroll Foy, a former state delegate running for the Democratic Party nomination for governor, is working to address where we are, and where we’re headed post-COVID.
Carroll Foy on Tuesday released a policy plan that centers on providing relief to the hundreds of thousands of Virginians who lost work during the pandemic, as well as small businesses traditionally left behind in favor of massive corporations and special interests.