Amherst officials OK Central Va.'s first broadband authority

AMHERST — Amherst County took its first step forward Tuesday in extending high-speed Internet service to unserved areas by voting to create a broadband authority.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a resolution forming the five-member authority, a separate legal entity from the county that can enter into a public-private partnership with providers for implementation of a countywide network. The county is the first locality in Central Virginia to adopt a broadband authority — there are fewer than 10 operating in Virginia.

Bryan David, executive director of Region 2000’s Local Economic Development Council, said the authority is expected to become operational within the next month. David and Jeffrey Gore, an attorney for a Richmond-based firm, are working with the county to incorporate the authority.

David is also working with Bedford County on behalf of Region 2000 in setting up a

broadband authority there. Bedford is vying for a $60,000 grant from the state tobacco commission to fund it and the county’s economic development authority committed $5,000 to that effort — the county is still waiting on funding before officially forming its authority.

Amherst supervisors already appropriated up to $60,000 to set up its authority. The money covers attorney fees, fees for Region 2000 and engineering services.

From an economic development standpoint, David said the authority is a model for Central Virginia in making the region much more competitive than any other similarly situated region.

“I’m heartened now we can actually get the work started,” David said. “At some point the whole idea is to be able to live and work anywhere in this region and have access to affordable broadband. That’s the ultimate goal.”

David said his hope is that the authority could have a proposal out for the service of participating companies by the summer. The authority could start negotiating contracts with providers by the fall, at which time he said it would apply for grants through the federal economic stimulus package.“This puts us a little bit ahead of the curve on qualifying for some of that stimulus funding,” County Administrator Rodney Taylor said Tuesday.

The county has studied broadband capabilities and coverage areas, he said.

“The challenge in Amherst County is the topography,” Taylor said.

The authority’s purpose would be to remove some of the financial risks that could be a barrier for providers looking to establish a network in a less densely populated area, he said.

The board’s five members are listed as the authority’s members, according to the resolution. Taylor said that could be changed and new members could be appointed. The only requirement is county residence.

David had informed the board that the county could halt its efforts with the authority if it chose to. Supervisor Vernon Wood motioned for the approval after a public hearing that drew only one speaker who said he just wanted information about what a broadband authority is.

“I’m not opposed to forming the authority and going forward to see what happens,” Wood said.