Northam announces bipartisan plan to invest $700 million for broadband expansion

Linking the digital divide in Virginia was a goal Governor Northam set during his term in Richmond. Experts told him that would take 10 years.

Northam announced Friday in Abingdon that bipartisan support in the House and Senate appropriation committees in the General Assembly is ready to infuse $700 million for last-mile broadband projects in underserved counties.

The governor said that would cut the timeline down to 2024.

US Senator Mark Warner who is helping to arrange for funding through the federal American Rescue Act said the COVID pandemic has solidified the idea of needed broadband expansion to help families and businesses.

He said parents having to drive to a school parking lot to let their children learn on a wi-fi hotspot in the car is not an option.

Warner, D-VA, also credited the Virginia Tobacco Commission who drafted the idea of getting more broadband into the region more than two decades ago.

Estimates from state and federal officials currently have 233,500 homes underserved with no broadband access.

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