While most area localities are forging ahead with forming broadband authorities to improve Internet connectivity, Campbell County is holding back on that move, for now.
The county’s position is that it wants to find out exactly what such an authority would do before forming it, said Economic Development Director Mike Davidson.
“In our position, the authority’s job is helping implement once you know what you want to do,” Davidson said. “Because we don’t have an implementation plan, we just didn’t feel like there was any need to set up an authority and let them be idle for a while.”
Next month, Davidson will present a yearlong study to the county’s Board of Supervisors, which takes stock of current broadband resources, from DSL to cable to wireless.
As part of that study, Davidson and other workers spent two days driving around the county with laptops and wireless Internet cards from three cellular phone companies. They were able to put together a map showing the wireless Internet connectivity in the county as well as other types of connections for the study.
“What we found is there are still some un-served and underserved areas in Campbell County, and most of those are south of Virginia 24,” he said, “and the biggest area is the southeast quadrant that is very rural and does not have DSL service because of the cost associated with specific equipment.”
The county has listed two major needs for Internet connectivity, Davidson said. One is for public safety workers to have mobile Internet connections, and the other is to make sure businesses and residents have the access they need. With the information in hand, the county will spend the next year trying to develop an implementation plan on how to meet those needs along with comparing cost-effectiveness.
Some areas of the county will never have the kind of access residents desire, either because of isolation or topography, Davidson said, but there are plenty of options.
“It’s a great thing to say we want every home in Campbell County to be connected to broadband access,” Davidson said. “But the truth is, that’s just not possible.”
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