HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — More than 150,000 homes and businesses in Virginia lack access to broadband internet.
That means employees who can’t work from home, and some businesses that simply can’t exist.
But it may soon be changing.
Back in June, the state was awarded $1.48 billion as part of the Biden Administration’s broadband equity, access and deployment program. That money is intended to bring internet access to as close to 100% as possible.
“I think this is, again, not going to solve every problem,” said Sen. Mark Warner, “but the absence of broadband is going to exponentially increase the challenges that a community faces, and thank goodness we’ve got all the resources we need. We just need to execute to make this a reality.”
Just Wednesday, Sens. Tim Kaine and Warner announced an additional $16 million from the federal government to build out connections between rural communities. Thirty-two industrial and business park sites in 12 localities across central and Southside Virginia will have expanded broadband access thanks to that program.
