Broadband networks are the first enabling technology since electricity to fundamentally impact society to such a great extent that it is now viewed in economic development circles as “critical infrastructure”. Access to broadband provides communities with the foundation necessary for economic growth and a sustainable quality of life. At present, too many communities – both urban and rural – do not have access to affordable, reliable broadband telecommunications, and hence deprived of their ability to participate in enhanced social, education, employment, healthcare, and economic development opportunities. It is critical that all Virginia communities have equal and affordable access to broadband telecommunications. To help close the gap, Governor Kaine established the Office of Telework Promotion and Broadband Assistance (OTPBA) in 2006 which works to encourage public and private sector efforts in the deployment of telework policy and strives to eliminate the barriers that are preventing broadband from becoming accessible and affordable throughout the Commonwealth.
Strategy for Business Non-AdaptersRESOURCES Online resources for sourcing training content:
http://www.digitalliteracy.gov/
http://www.communitiesconnect.org
http://createcoloradovirtuallibrary.org/tech-training-public
http://createcoloradovirtuallibrary.org/staff-tech-training-curriculum
Since broadband is a very complicated and complex topic there are many resources available, both at the state and national level, to assist in expanding broadband access and improving utilization. The OTPBA makes every effort to stay up to date with the latest resources and compile them in one centralized location.
Downloadable Resources
Printable Broadband Coverage Maps
Policy Considerations for Broadband Deployment
Accelerate Virginia in Two Easy Steps
Community Broadband Assistance Program
Broadband Challenges in the Commonwealth
Vertical Assets Inventory Toolkit
A full list of national and state resources can be downloaded here: Full List of Resources.
Center for Innovative Technology (CIT)
CIT is the only resource in the Commonwealth that offers a “holistic” supply and demand approach to solving the broadband equation. The current mission of CIT’s Broadband Program is to “accelerate the socio-economic growth of Virginia’s rural and underserved areas through the application and use of broadband telecommunications.” This bold mission statement emphasizes the idea that the true value of broadband telecommunications infrastructure is derived from the applications that traverse its capacity, not the mere existence of the infrastructure. In keeping with its mission, CIT is assisting communities across Virginia planning network deployments. Check out the CIT’s Community Broadband Planning Strategies guide.
eCorridors at Virginia Tech
Since 2000, eCorridors has conducted research on broadband availability, deployment, adoption, and usage in support of its mission to facilitate and promote the ability for every person, organization, and community in Virginia and beyond to have the capability, at a reasonable cost, to produce and access high volume information and services in the networked world. eCorridors creates competitive advantage by facilitating the deployment of advanced technology infrastructure and applications leveraging inter-regional connectivity for, and collaboration among, communities.
Accelerate Virginia
In an effort to expand high-speed Internet access across the state, Virginia Tech’s eCorridors program presents Accelerate Virginia, a new broadband mapping project. For the first time, users are being asked to provide information about Internet accessibility in their communities. Along with other sources, this data will be used to identify areas in need of affordable broadband infrastructure investment.
Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development
VDHCD offers block grants to communities for both planning and implementation of telecommunications efforts, allowing communities to identify and develop all elements necessary to create a successful community broadband network. Funds are distributed to eligible communities on a first-come, first-serve basis, and implementation grant focus on ‘last-mile’ installations.
Virginia Electronic Commerce Technology Center (VECTEC)
Vectec is a non-profit eCommerce center partnered with the Virginia Industry Foundation. Our mission is to promote economic competitiveness and development by sponsoring, developing and implementing eCommerce activities for primarily small to medium sized businesses.
Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN)
VGIN was established in 1997 in Virginia Code to “foster the creative utilization of geographic information and oversee the development of a catalog of GIS data available in the Commonwealth.
Virginia HIT Regional Assistance Center – (VHIT)
VHIT offers affordable access to electronic health record systems, as well as a wide range of valuable consulting services, from assessing needs and selecting a vendor, to managing system implementation and implementing workflow changes that improve clinical performance and efficiency.
Virtual Virginia
As a program of the Virginia Department of Education, Virtual Virginia (VVa) offers online Advanced Placement (AP®), world language, core academic, and elective courses to students across the Commonwealth and nation. Virtual Virginia is committed to providing high-quality, rigorous course content with the flexibility to meet schools’ and students’ varied schedules. Virtual learning is the new frontier in today’s educational institutions. The technology of the 21st century provides a unique opportunity for educators to reach students who want the experience of online courses.
Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission
The TICRC’s Economic Development and Special Projects programs fund projects that bring technology solutions, including affordable open access, high-speed connectivity to economic development sites in the tobacco-region counties of Virginia.
Virginia Resources Authority
Virginia Resources Authority tailors low-cost financing solutions that take advantage of unique capabilities to issue bonds backed by the moral obligation of the Commonwealth and to make revolving fund loans at below-market interest rates. Its mission encompasses financing infrastructure in the areas of environmental quality, public health, wireless broadband telecommunications, transportation, economic development, brownfields remediation, and public safety.
Appalachian Regional Commission
The Appalachian Regional Commission is a federal-state-local partnership that works with the people of Appalachia to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life. Each year ARC provides funding for several hundred projects in the Appalachian Region, in areas such as business development, education and job training, telecommunications, infrastructure, community development, housing, and transportation. These projects create thousands of new jobs; improve local water and sewer systems; increase school readiness; expand access to health care; assist local communities with strategic planning; and provide technical and managerial assistance to emerging businesses.
Virginia Telehealth Network
VTN devotes its resources to advancing the adoption, implementation and integration of telehealth and related technologies into models of healthcare statewide, and promotes the integration of health systems to support the delivery of care for all Virginians. In carrying out its work, the Virginia Telehealth Network is involved in many activities that are linked to priorities such as: resource-sharing, education, quality improvement via technology, development of model policies, procedures and protocols to address implementation barriers.
Wireless E-911 Services Board at VITA
An organization that operates under the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, the Wireless E-911 Services Board plans, promotes and offers assistance in the statewide development, deployment, and maintenance of enhanced wireless emergency telecommunications services and technologies; and in the development and deployment of enhanced wireline emergency telecommunications services and technologies.
Interoperability in Virginia
The State Interoperability Executive Committee (SIEC) and Initiative Actions Teams (IAT) work on implementing the initiatives contained in the annually updated Statewide Strategic Plan for Interoperable Communications.
State Education Policy Center (SEPC)
SEPC is a database of state policies related to education and technology curated by the State Educational Technology Directors Association.
Connecting Virginia: The economic benefits to expanding advanced broadband internet access.
“Connecting Virginia” is a study released by the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy in November 2011.
Virginia Broadband Reports“Broadband Activities in the Commonwealth: An Annual Report” describes the broadband availability mapping initiatives and progress being made at the state and federal level.
“Broadband Coverage in the Commonwealth of Virginia”
Estimates the percentage of the Virginia population falling into certain broadband internet service availability categories.
Virginia Broadband Awardees
Organizations receiving broadband awards from Federal agencies in recent years include a variety of broadband authorities, cooperatives, and other organizations, including:
NTIA and RUS Round 1 Award Recipients
Allegheny County/nTelos
(RUS) $16 million loan/grant combination for middle/last mile in Allegheny County.
Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative
(NTIA) $16 million grant for build out of 465 miles of open access (middle mile) fiber in southside Virginia.
Virginia Tech Foundation
(NTIA) $5.5 million grant to build 110 miles of middle mile fiber between Blacksburg and Bedford City.
Nelson County
(RUS) $1.8 million grant to build middle mile fiber from Afton to Colleen in Nelson County.
Page County
(RUS) $1.6 million grant to build middle mile fiber to a distressed population is the county (less than 40% broadband penetration) and to connect town governments, first responders, schools, libraries, and the primary hospital.
Buggs Island Telephone Cooperative
(NTIA) $19 million to bring high-speed affordable (wireless) broadband services to 15 underserved counties and the cities of Emporia and Franklin in south-central Virginia.
NTIA and RUS Round 2 Award Recipients
Bristol Virginia Utilities
(NTIA) $22.7 million for construction of middle mile optic network (388 miles) for Bland, Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell, Smyth, Washington, and Wythe Counties .
Utopian Wireless Corporation
(RUS) $468,133 to bring Wi-Max infrastructure to communities in/around Mineral. Project estimates service approximately 4500 people, 400 businesses, and 50 other community institutions.
New Castle Telephone Company
(RUS) $1 million to bring DSL to unserved establishments in Craig County. Project stands to benefit approximately 700 people, several businesses and other community institutions.
Citizens Telephone Cooperative
(NTIA) $9,327,760 for middle mile in the New River Valley. Project will directly benefit more than 50 community institutions, 163,000 people and 1,300 businesses.
County of Rockbridge
(NTIA) $6,993,399 for middle mile in west-central Virginia. Project will directly benefit 50 community institutions, 33,000 people, and 1,300 businesses.
Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative
(NTIA) $10,023,247 for middle mile in eastern Virginia. Project will directly benefit more than 66 community institutions, 84,000 people and 340 businesses.
Scott County Telephone Cooperative
(RUS) received $17.4m in federal grant and $7.45m in federal loan to provide fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband services to approximately 12,000 residents, 80 businesses and 16 community centers.
LENOWISCO Planning District
(RUS) received $14,158,345 in federal grant and $6,067,862 in federal loan to provide service to an estimated 42,000 residents, 1,550 businesses and 100 community institutions.
County/Regional Initiatives
The links below provide access to broadband analysis conducted by individual counties and/or broadband authorities located throughout the Commonwealth.
Campbell County Broadband Initiative
Franklin County
Eastern Shore
Goochland County
Orange County
Surry County
Hanover County
Welcome to the Virginia Broadband Map Book Portal! This website is an online repository of detailed maps, showing broadband coverage in the state as a whole, or within any county, city, or planning district in Virginia. Maps may be found for a specific location by selecting your desired parameters from the drop-down menus below, then clicking ‘Search’. Your results will appear as a list of links that you can use to access the maps that fit your search criteria. Maps are available in .png or .pdf format and may be viewed online or downloaded for offline viewing. Broadband Map Book Portal Introduction Tutorial vid on YouTube via CGIT Virginia Tech
The eCorridors program at Virginia Tech is continuing a statewide effort to engage and educate the public and raise awareness about broadband availability in Virginia. Through the AVa Project eCorridors is collecting information on the speed quality of consumer Internet services.
As a partner in the Virginia broadband mapping initiative, eCorridors is responsible for collecting end-user Internet connectivity information, like connection speeds, quality of service, costs, etc. The end-user information collected by Accelerate Virginia will be used to expand on provider data collected by the state to verify the statewide Virginia broadband map.
In addition, eCorridors will be producing value added alternative mapping and informational products such as, end-user generated maps and report generation tools. eCorridors will continue to periodically, and upon request, perform analyses of data collected from the Accelerate Virginia speed test application. As a research tool, Accelerate Virginia will be used to assess the availability, affordability, and quality of Internet services across the state.
Be a part of history
eCorridors and Accelerate Virginia are asking Virginia residents, businesses, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, public safety groups and others to provide information about the quality of their Internet connection. eCorridors is coordinating speed testing campaigns with community leaders to reach more people across the state. Concentrating collection efforts in planning districts will allow eCorridors to give focused attention to geographic divisions of the state.
Urge your friends and neighbors to participate in a local speed testing campaign! For more information and to organize a local speed test campaign in your area, contact Jean Plymale vplymale@vt.edu at (540) 231-2270. More resources are available in the Accelerate Your Community section of this site.
About eCorridors
Since 2000, eCorridors has conducted research on broadband availability, deployment, adoption, and usage. eCorridors strives to facilitate access to high volume information senses for every person, organization, and community in Virginia and beyond.
Mobile Broadband Speed Test: The FCC offers a Mobile Consumer Broadband Test for the Apple iPhone and Android mobile platforms. The official name of the App is the FCC Broadband Test. This tool can be downloaded to your Apple or Android enabled device by accessing the App Store on your handheld phone at either the Apple App Store or the Android app market.
Share: Share information about the map and your search results through email, Facebook, Twitter @broadbandmap (hashtag #nbmap), or other social networks.
The information included in these map books is derived from data collected in part by broadband mapping initiatives funded by the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA), part of the United States Department of Commerce. This data can be viewed on the Virginia Broadband Map http://mapping.vita.virginia.gov/broadband/ and downloaded from the National Broadband Map (http://www.broadbandmap.gov/). For the most part, data shown in these map book pages was provided by internet service providers. For more information on how that data was assembled, go to: http://www.broadbandmap.gov/about/technical-overview/assembling-the-data.