Virginia finalizes $1.5B broadband expansion plan

The Virginia Office of Broadband (Va OoB) has developed its Final Proposal to access up to nearly $1.5 billion in funds through the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The Va OoB has opened a public comment window on the proposal, allowing residents to offer feedback prior to submission.

Following closure of the feedback period Aug. 13, the Va OoB will submit the Final Proposal to the National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA) for official approval. The funds awarded through the BEAD Program would enable the state to invest in reliable broadband infrastructure serving its underserved and unserved communities across more than 133,000 locations.

With federal approval, the state would be able to invest in a variety of dependable technologies to facilitate broadband expansion and accessibility. These solutions may include:

Fiber.
Cable.
Fixed wireless.
Low Earth orbit satellite systems.

Statewide implementation would guarantee residents access to 100/20 megabits per second (Mbps) upload and download speeds. The state estimates that all locations receiving BEAD Program support will benefit from expanded broadband availability and affordability within the next four years. In addition, qualifying projects must demonstrate the ease of scalability, ability to scale and reliability of their projects for the foreseeable future.

Projects receiving funding would implement cost-effective solutions using existing infrastructure in underserved and unserved regions. These efforts would work in conjunction with Virginia’s passing of legislation in 2021 enabling investor-owned utilities to collaborate with localities and broadband providers to accelerate cost-effective rural broadband development. The state has already reduced deployment costs by $200 million during the most recent BEAD project application process, according to state officials.

The Va OoB anticipates that construction of broadband infrastructure projects will begin in 2026.

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