Southside Virginia gets grant for high speed internet service

Several Southside Virginia communities have new opportunities for development of high speed internet service. WCVE/WMVE's Jeanne Faulconer reports that matching grants from the Virginia Tobacco Commission will improve connectivity in Southern Virginia.

The Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative, a fiber-optic backbone provider in rural markets, has announced that over $750,000 has been awarded to three of its members.  That will provide high-speed internet service to over 3,800 customers in southern Virginia, where high-speed service has not been available.
 
The 50/50 matching grants were awarded to RAF Wireless, for WiMAX deployments in Boydton and Baskerville; to CenturyLink, for broadband service in areas currently supported by dial-up in parts of Buckingham, Campbell, Henry, Lunenberg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Patrick and Pittsylvania Counties; and to Kinex, for WiMAX deployments in northwest Buckingham County and in part of Charlotte County.
 
The matching grant awards will leverage over $1 million in private sector capital in the region, bringing high-speed internet to more residential and business customers in the state.  The grant money to three Mid-Atlantic Broadband members is from the Virginia Tobacco Commission, created in 1999 by the General Assembly to promote economic growth in the Commonwealth's tobacco-dependent communities.

Jeanne Faulconer, WCVE News, South Hill

Do you have any more information concerning the grant that Century Link received for the upgrade to Buckingham County for DSL? I live in the Glenmore/Howardsville area of Buckingham and we still have not been upgraded. Our phone line are so antiquated that our dial up connection is lost if our neighbor makes a phone call. We need help. My husband and I both own small businesses and rely on internet service for customer relations, ordering and product updates. I have contacted Century link and after being passed from person to person I still cannot acquire any information.

Hello, thanks for your comment. If you cannot get information from Century Link, you might try Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative, which made the announcement and is working with Century Link. Here is a link to their website and contact info: http://www.mbc-va.com/contact_us/

I hope this is helpful to you.

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