– Charlottesville/Albemarle Broadband Initiative

As the usage of the internet increases in our personal and work lives alike, so does the importance of access to high-speed internet, or “broadband.” Broadband is providing access to new technologies and innovative ways of working — including telemedicine, virtual classrooms, and work-from-home opportunities.

Since October 2014 the Albemarle County Broadband Task Force, the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC), and County staff have been working to identify grant funds for furthering a County-wide Community Telecommunications Plan. One of the grants identified was the Virginia Telecommunications Planning Initiative (VATPI) Grant, offered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Albemarle County submitted an application and on October 30, 2015, DHCD announced that the County had been selected for a VATPI grant in the amount of $75,000.

The Albemarle County Broadband Management Team, an advisory committee created as a requirement of the grant, is working with Design Nine (www.designnine.com), a broadband planning firm based in Blacksburg, Virginia, to complete a comprehensive broadband plan for the County. The plan will include an assessment of current broadband availability and usage; address demand aggregation and future use; address the relationship to regional planning and telecommunications networks; address community development applications; and provide network designs based on several funding strategies.

The Management Team will provide oversight and direction throughout the process of developing the plan. The plan is an important first step in identifying funding strategies, projects, partnerships, and technologies to put into place when deploying more Broadband infrastructure.

To stay up-to-date on the latest Broadband Initiative news and events, sign up for the Broadband A-mail list and visit this site often.

For more information, visit: https://www.albemarle.org/department.asp?department=broadband

Courtesy of Albemarle County (www.Albemarle.org).