Gov. Ralph Northram’s visit to Botetourt was all about broadband

A quick trip to Botetourt County had Gov. Ralph Northram available on the podium for the announcement Tuesday that the county has formed an important broadband partnership. A successful pact is solidified to build a data center with the Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority.

The data center will be built within the Greenfield industrial center and is planned to be completed by the spring of 2020. Recent broadband initiatives are targeted for the rural parts of the county with BARC, CBEC and Lumos thus far in public/private partnership forged by the Botetourt Broadband Commission with a goal of completion by 2023.

Valley Supervisor Dr. Mac Scothorn who chairs the Broadband Commission, thanked all in the Broadband Commission for their diligent work to get Botetourt better fiber coverage for business and citizens.

He said: “We all know how important internet access is, but getting it everywhere is only the first step. The future of telecommunications advancement requires stability, redundancy and disaster recovery. We need fiber, wireless, high speed and lots of service options, but to encourage advancement, we also need commercial accessibility.”

Northram spoke to the importance of internet accessibility in rural areas. He said, “$19 million per year for the next five years has been included in funding by the Commonwealth of Virginia.” CBEC received a grant this spring for over $750,000 to provide fiber to 661 homes and businesses in western Botetourt.

Story and photo by Cathy Benson