Much of Cardinal’s reporting on broadband deployment in Virginia has referenced the following sites, all publicly accessible.
The Virginia Telecommunication Initiative, or VATI, website is www.dhcd.virginia.gov/vati. The $1 billion project fund includes about $750 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, along with state, local and private funding.
The site, which is hosted by the Department of Housing and Community Development, links to information about the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program, or BEAD. Virginia is scheduled to receive $1.48 billion in BEAD money to further deliver broadband.
Visit the Broadband Availability Map to learn more about who has access and where, and to subscribe to broadband updates.
Learn about projects in your locality and their reported progress at the VATI Dashboard, which includes details on every project using VATI money and how far along each has gotten.
Check out our other Sunshine Week features
- 990s shine a light on nonprofit finances
- Track political spending with VPAP
- Explore your neighborhood through GIS
- Look up your doctor’s credentials with this tool
- Check up on your favorite eatery with restaurant inspection reports
- Use this site to learn how much money the state’s casinos are bringing in
For example, Waynesboro-based Lumos Networks received $3 million from the state in fiscal year 2022 to cover 243 miles in Bedford County, has finished the project and contracted with nearly 1,500 county locations for service. The year before, the company got a $1.3 million state grant to cover 61 miles in the county but has 34% of fiber still to deploy — Lumos has gotten contracts for about 400 of those locations, though, or 74% of potential customers.
That contrast inspires the question “why?” Terrain? Make-ready disagreements? We’ll look to answer that and other questions from the data in the coming year.
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