Nelson County has received more than $1.8 million in federal stimulus funds to expand its broadband service, 5th District Rep. Tom Perriello’s office announced Thursday.
The county voted to allow officials to apply for the funds in July of 2009. At the time, it was estimated to cost as much as $2.3 million.
County Administrator Steve Carter said the county invested more than $100,000 on studies to determine the scope and cost of the project.
“We’re very excited and appreciative of the award,” Carter said, calling it “the fruition of a lot of hard work and a lot of effort on a lot of people’s parts.”
The project, he said, would expand and improve broadband Internet service to “critical” parts of the county, including schools, the Blue Ridge Medical Center and the county’s operation centers.
The release from Perriello’s office said the project would incorporate 31 miles of new fiber and four new wireless towers, and would give 1,500 homes and 250 businesses access to the new service.
The service would provide Internet speeds between 10 megabits per second and 1 gigabit per second.
Carter commended the board for approving the project, which was conceptualized about four years ago, he said.
“They stood right behind us the whole way,” he said.
A news release from the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that 10 localities across the nation were awarded more than $63 million in grants to increase broadband access.
The only other county in Virginia to get money was Page County, which received $1.6 million.
Nelson County Times reporter Erin McGrath contributed to this report.
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