RD213 - Broadband Activities in the Commonwealth: An Annual Status Report - October 1, 2015


Executive Summary:
Led by the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) and its partners, the Commonwealth of Virginia continues to work towards Governor McAuliffe’s goal of ubiquitous, affordable broadband access and ensuring its citizens and localities are realizing the benefits broadband brings. Access to and adoption of reliable broadband provides a locality the opportunity to grow in almost every arena. Broadband impacts all areas of community life including local government, healthcare, education, economic development, public safety and overall quality of life.

For the past five years Virginia broadband activities have almost entirely been funded by federal dollars. In February 2015 the federal NTIA state broadband initiative grant ended. However the General Assembly, for the first time, allocated funding to maintain the state broadband program, viewing it as critical to the resolution of the digital divide in Virginia. Through this state funding, CIT continues its broadband access data collection, development of resources to assist localities in planning efforts and staffing of the Broadband Advisory Council, all of which help drive broadband expansion and adoption in Virginia.

The Virginia broadband team, comprised of CIT, Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN), and the Center for Geospatial Information Technology (CGIT), continued its work in assisting localities to expand broadband access and adoption through the development of tools, resources, and promoting broadband-friendly legislation.

CIT released its Strategic Broadband Plan in early 2015 which outlines statewide strategic goals and CIT activities designed to achieve these goals. As part of this plan and its mission, CIT released a Strategic Broadband Roadmap white paper and infographic which provide step-by-step guidelines for localities seeking to expand broadband coverage and prepare for future capacity to support the community’s education, economic development, public safety and healthcare goals.

Despite the closeout of the national mapping program, the team was able to work with Virginia broadband providers and encourage continued participation in the Virginia mapping program. For the first time in five years broadband providers were asked to submit their data to the Commonwealth without the encouragement of federal agencies. Fortunately, many chose to continue to participate and the team released the latest update to the map.

Additionally, the team continues to release multiple online tools to assist localities in their planning efforts, directly assisted counties, citizens and organizations, and facilitated several broadband-related assessments.

Although the team has made great strides in 2015 and previous years to improve broadband in the Commonwealth, there’s still work to be done. This report highlights the initiatives and activities that have occurred in the past year as well as identifying the needs that remain.