Got Five Minutes? Help Improve Broadband Access in Virginia.

If your business is like most, your broadband Internet access is a lifeline that connects you to the information and people you need to make your business work. Could you function without it? If your answer is no, then lend a hand to the Accelerate Virginia Project, run by Virginia Tech’s eCorridors program.

Accelerate Virginia is part of the Virginia broadband mapping initiative and is collecting end-user Internet connectivity information to be used in conjunction with the information supplied by Internet service providers to more accurately map the availability and speed of broadband Internet in the Commonwealth.

Participating is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Just visit the Accelerate Virginia webpage and follow the easy instructions. You’ll be helping Accelerate Virgina to map current Internet availability and you’ll also get an instant review of your broadband speed connection as well as a survey of what others in your community are reporting. And, it will only take about 5 minutes of your time!

After you’re done, don’t forget to share the Accelerate Virginia link with your friends, family, and business associates. Remember, end-user input will help to verify the state broadband map and make it easier to identify and serve areas in need of affordable broadband infrastructure investment.

Visit www.acceleratevirginia.org for more information.

Taken from Business First
November 10, 2011
By Grace Festa

Broadband study shows growing need

When Sherry Swinson, Powhatan’s Director of Economic Development, received a grant last year to conduct surveys on internet usage, she discovered that many county residents have internet service that is neither as fast nor as reliable as they want or need.

Swinson found that inadequate broadband capability was not only affecting homes in more rural parts of the county, but was also proving to be problematic for businesses along the Route 60 corridor. “We have had a lot of people locate their business on 60,” Swinson said, “who were guaranteed a certain [broadband] service, only to find out later that the service was unavailable.” To attract and retain commercial enterprise, Swinson said, all areas of the county need access to reliable high-speed internet.

This is why Swinson is encouraging Powhatan residents to participate in the Accelerate Virginia speed testing campaign. Residents can take the 2-minute test from their home or business computers, and are encouraged to take the test several different times at different times of day to provide the most comprehensive picture of their internet service.

Jean Plymale, a member of Virginia Tech’s eCorridors program, which designed and runs the Accelerate Virginia campaign, said in an email that “The purpose of the study is to collect data which will enable us to better understand the availability of broadband services throughout Virginia.”

Regarding the term “broadband,” Plymale said that “it means different things to different people and it’s changing all the time.”

“Basically what we want is for people to have the speeds that they need to use the applications that they want,” Plymale said.

Plymale said that as of last Friday 49 Powhatan residents had taken the test. Accelerate Virginia’s goal is to collect 300-500 speed tests per county.

“Places like Stafford and Fauquier Counties got over 700 speed tests,” Plymale said in an email. “[The] bottom line [is] the more consumer speed test data we get, the better analysis we can produce.”

But is there an incentive for companies like Verizon and Comcast to provide broadband service to remote areas where few potential customers?

“The incentive isn’t there today,” Plymale said, “but that isn’t to say it won’t be there tomorrow.” Plymale said that smaller internet providers can often be a good choice for rural customers.

“The smaller companies support speed testing, because they’re very responsive to their customers,” Plymale said.

To take the Accelerate Virginia speed test or to learn more about the program please visit: http://www.acceleratevirginia.org/

Taken from Powhatan Today
November 09, 2011
By Emily Darrell