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An update on efforts to complete the last mile of access to high-speed internet broadband service in Rockbridge County was given to the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 11 by County Administrator Spencer Suter.
Recent testing of internet service in remote parts of the county that was part of a state-wide survey ran into difficulties due to a constricted time frame to conduct the tests, the issue of some residences having no internet connection at all and a requirement that three tests be run on three separate days at each residence. Even so, Suter told the supervisors, the Virginia Office of Broadband reported that Rockbridge County had the best response rate of any jurisdiction in the state.
Suter said the county is presently pursuing three separate grant opportunities. One is through the Federal Community Connect grant program. BARC Electric, a partner in this grant application, selected the Collierstown area as the best candidate for maximum leverage in securing grant funding.
A Virginia Telecommunication Initiative 2024 grant is being pursued in cooperation with providers BARC, Brightspeed and Verizon. The county was unsuccessful in applying for funds from this source the past two years so the three providers are assisting the county in tweaking the latest application. The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission is also providing assistance.
A third grant option is through the Broadband Equity Act which has allotted $1.45 billion in funds to Virginia for this purpose. “These federal pass-through dollars come with a different set of rules for use than the VATI funding,” said Suter. The recent testing was conducted in support of this application.
At Suter’s request, the supervisors reconfirmed dedication of up to $3,982,664 in matching local funds to support these efforts and authorized Suter to execute the documents needed to complete the grant applications.
