Board of Supervisors received Broadband Update and Map

A website at Botetourt County’s official page now offers a map that shows current and future locations of broadband networks.

The map, located at Botetourt County Broadband botetourtva.gov under the “Living Here” section, has nine separate slides. Map one shows the existing Lumos structure. Map two shows the Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority Fiber Phases 1 and 2. Map three shows the Blue Ridge Towers, currently under construction. Map four shows Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative Phases 1 and 2. Map five shows Lumos expansion in 2020 along Narrow Passage Road. Map six shows proposed Lumos expansion areas in 2021-2022. Map seven shows a proposed Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative build out in Eagle Rock. Map eight shows proposed Dominion expansion in 2021. Map nine shows all of the current and proposed broadband areas in Botetourt.(See photo below to go with explanations.)

Here is a photo of the map that you click for the interactive piece on BoCo website https://web.botetourtva.gov/broadband/

Over the last four years, Botetourt County has secured over $2 million in Virginia Telecommunications Initiative grant funds, $569,808 in CARES Act Fast Track Grant funds, and attracted multiple new broadband providers to the area.

Additionally, Botetourt County leveraged nearly half of allotted CARES Act funding, approximately $3 million, to advance broadband projects. In addition to allowing for directed partnerships with private Internet Service Providers (ISPs), these efforts have helped an additional 1,948 local addresses to gain access to high-speed internet connections.

There remain spots on the map that do not have coverage with no indication of when coverage might be available. Among them are residential areas in Blue Ridge along Laymantown Road, including much of Rainbow Forest and the Webster area, according to Map 9.

Additionally, most of Mountain Pass Road has no broadband coverage, nor does Nace or Lithia in the Blue Ridge Turnpike area.

Shawnee Village, a subdivision off of Country Club Road, does not have coverage, nor does a large section of Blacksburg Road between Country Club Road and Etzler Road.

Woodridge Subdivision off of Etzler Road does not show coverage, either, as well as numerous other small subdivisions and back roads.

                                                            — Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee and Cathy Benson visuals