Stafford County Seeks Residents' Help in Mapping Local Broadband Access

Stafford County is starting a high-speed Internet mapping campaign using the Accelerate Virginia speed test. Residents are asked to take a speed test, which will help identify areas in the county in need of broadband availability.

The campaign’s goal is to get a minimum of 300-500 speed tests taken throughout the county. This data will help provide an accurate look at Stafford’s broadband availability as well as any broadband dead zones.

“Broadband has become a “utility,” similar to gas, electric, and telephone service, and not just a convenience,” said Chairman of the Stafford Board of Supervisors Mark Dudenhefer. “With our award-winning schools, campuses for Germanna Community College and the University of Mary Washington, diverse business base, and growing military presence, Stafford County needs community-wide broadband coverage so that our residents, students, and business owners can get connected to the Internet no matter where they are – home, work, or school.”

Getting countywide Broadband access has long been a goal of Stafford’s Telecommunications Commission, which is made up of seven volunteer citizens appointed to serve by the Board of Supervisors. "We hear from citizens all the time about the lack of broadband access in their neighborhoods," said Bob Thomas, Chairman of the Telecommunications Commission. "As more jobs move to the area, especially with BRAC and the businesses that will come here to support that effort, we are working toward ensuring that more Stafford residents and businesses can access the Internet from any location."

The Board of Supervisors appointed a subcommittee of Board members to work with the Telecommunications Commission on expanding broadband in Stafford. Vice Chairman Paul Milde, Aquia District, and Supervisor Gary Snellings, Hartwood District, are working with the Commission to build a business case for providers to expand their Internet access services to citizens, especially those who live along the western and eastern boundaries of Stafford, such as in Hartwood and the Marlborough Point areas.

To participate in this campaign, county residents, business owners, students, and others are asked to visit http://acceleratevirginia.org and take a two-minute speed test.

Upon completion of the test, users will see the results of their Internet connections, compared with the connection reports from residences, businesses, etc., that surround that location. Users are also being asked to encourage their friends and family to do the same.

For those who have little or no access to the Internet at their location, these individuals are encouraged to report their broadband dead zone by contacting Accelerate Virginia by phone (540) 231-2270 or email vplymale@vt.edu.

Individuals, local businesses, church groups, and other community organizations are being asked to help spread the word throughout the county by sharing the news via their own communication networks.

“Distributing flyers, making phone calls, sending emails, and sharing links on Facebook and Twitter are just a few easy ways that we can all be a part of something big that has a real impact on our future,” said Patrick Fay of Accelerate Virginia.

Additional tips and resources are available on the Accelerate Virginia website at http://acceleratevirginia.org.

By participating in this campaign and identifying areas in need of broadband, residents will help Stafford improve economic development as well as educational opportunities.

With increased telework availability, more county residents will be able to maintain jobs from their homes. New virtual businesses can start in the county and telework instead of rent office space.

Newcomers to Stafford will be looking for locations that offer access to high-speed Internet. As more and more county residents and business owners provide their connectivity data, the more likely these newcomers will be able to locate options for their new homes and businesses.

The data collected from the speed tests will be used to create a broadband market map that could be used for economic development. This map will provide entrepreneurs, businesses and others moving to and from Stafford County with the information needed to see where Internet access is offered. It will also allow Internet providers to explore new markets.

An additional benefit will be increased exposure to the Internet as a learning tool for students across the county and from all levels of learning, including workforce development, K-12, and higher education sectors.

Accelerate Virginia was launched in 2010 as an extension of the Virginia Tech eCorridors program and aims to measure the broadband availability of the entire state with help from local campaigns and counties such as Stafford.

All of the data collected from the Accelerate Virginia campaign will be used to help build the statewide broadband map, which in turn will identify areas in need of improvement, and ultimately provide faster and more affordable high-speed Internet for all of Virginia.

For more information about Accelerate Virginia or to report a dead zone, please contact Jean Plymale at Accelerate Virginia at vplymale@vt.edu at (540) 231-2270.

Taken from Stafford County Official Site
Posted April 22, 2011

Stafford Aims to ID Internet Dead Zones

Stafford County, Va. –– Where can you find the best internet access in Stafford County? Well, that’s what county officials want to know, and they’re asking internet users to help them find out.

Officials are beginning a high-speed Internet mapping campaign that will test broadband access in the county. A part of the Accelerate Virginia initiative, officials hope to get the results of at least 300 to 500 speed tests so they can determine the availability of broadband access in the county, as well identify any dead zones.

Taking the test is as simple as clinking on Accelerate Virginia’s website.

One of the recent test results from a user in Aquia showed poor results, while other areas in the county showed moderate speeds.

“Broadband has become a “utility,” similar to gas, electric, and telephone service, and not just a convenience,” said Chairman of the Stafford Board of Supervisors Mark Dudenhefer in a press release. “With our award-winning schools, campuses for Germanna Community College and the University of Mary Washington, diverse business base, and growing military presence, Stafford County needs community-wide broadband coverage so that our residents, students, and business owners can get connected to the Internet no matter where they are – home, work, or school.”

After taking the test, users will see a comparison of their Internet speeds and those of neighboring homes and businesses.

Officials have asked those who have already taken the test to use email and social networking services, like Twitter and Facebook, to encourage friends and family to take the test.

The results of the tests will be compiled and used to create a map depicting where the best spots for broadband access in the county are. That map will be used for economic development purposes, to give potential business owners information on where the best internet access in the county is, officials say.

Taken from Potomac Local News

You'll be Crippled Without It

The article below explores the necessity of broadband in rural communities. The opinions in this article are those of the author, and may not reflect those of Accelerate Virginia, eCorridors or Virginia Tech.

Broadband isn't something nice to have. It's not an amenity, like lake or a ski slope. Broadband is a necessity these days for rural communities. Without it, your future is pinched off.


Sharon Strover teaches communications at the University of Texas and is one of the nation's authorities on rural broadband.

Communications technologies have enormous consequences even though most of them go unrealized when those technologies are young.

No one would have anticipated that Facebook or Twitter might one day figure in revolutions, just as no one could have anticipated that the telegraph would catalyze both the standardization of time keeping in the U.S. as well as the creation of national economic markets.

We are now in the midst of a national debate — indeed, an international debate — around the impact of broadband networks. The current administration is intent on expanding access to broadband, especially in rural regions that have lacked fast access to the Internet. Broadband’s importance can be measured in the over $7 billion in federal stimulus funds dedicated to broadband programs in 2009-2010 as well as the high speed wireless initiative that promises to bring 4G services to most of the country.

Critics of these measures ask exactly what broadband yields, and whether such jolts of investment found in the stimulus are justified. What does it provide to rural regions that justify such large-scale investments?

The simple answer is that rural communities will be economically crippled without broadband access. That’s the long and the short of it.

Broadband will not bring immediate economic transformation to rural America. But regions that lack broadband will be crippled. Having broadband may not necessarily mean a sharp increase in jobs; however, not having broadband will probably mean fewer jobs.

This paradox exists because Internet connectivity increasingly is necessary for many political, economic and social transactions — in everything from contacting elected representatives to filing insurance papers to keeping up with classes offered at the local community center.

Not having access to these mechanisms means being cut off from opportunities and from what is now defined as normal communication channels. Broadband is expected — by employers, job seekers and businesses looking to bring goods to markets. Having access to broadband, therefore, is simply treading water. Not having it means you sink.


USDA A Pine Telephone Company broadband site in Oklahoma. USDA funds will help deliver broadband to portions of the Choctaw Nation.

Rural is a single term that covers a lot of territory. Some rural communities are close to metro areas while others are way over yonder. Rural residents are miners, artists, farmers, factory workers and commuters. One-size-fits-all solutions — even on matters as seemingly straightforward as technology — won’t work.

There may be some regions where broadband will nicely boost productivity, or create new opportunities. We know, for example, that tourist areas benefit from broadband because they can offer vacationers the opportunity to stay connected or to continue to work in those locations.

But regional economies were shaped long before broadband existed and those factors that shape rural communities are already “in place,” and unlikely to change. West Virginia and Kentucky will continue to mine coal with or without broadband because that’s where coal is found.

While broadband connectivity usually cannot fundamentally change those underlying regional economic factors, it can enhance them.

The economic changes broadband will bring to areas won’t be easy to measure. It may, in fact, be impossible to show broadband’s effects at these micro levels. Broadband won’t have the impact of electricity, after all. But this technology does offer the prospect for profound changes in the future, changes we cannot begin to foresee.

Rural communities are at a sharp disadvantage when compared to the cities. The most recently released statistics show that 68.2% of American households have broadband connections, but a 10% penetration urban-rural disparity still exists.

Moreover, there’s little competition among service providers in rural America, and some data suggest that prices are higher in these regions as a result. Additional investment in broadband availability might increase competition and shift prices down, a potential boon to rural regions.

Broadband in rural America isn’t about jobs being created next week. New technology won’t wipe out a community’s comparative disadvantages.

Broadband, however, is fundamental to development in the most complete, long-term sense. For libraries, schools, health clinics, businesses and hospitals, broadband is a basic need. And that’s the way this technology needs to be treated, as something no community can be without.

Sharon Strover is the director of the Telecommunications and Information Policy Institute at the University of Texas.

Taken from Benton Foundation
By Sharon Strover
Date published: April 08, 2011

Fauquier seeks help mapping broadband

FREDRICKSBURG -- Fauquier County is asking for the public's help as it begins a broadband mapping campaign.

Fauquier is the first county in Northern Virginia to partner with Accelerate Virginia, an extension of Virginia Tech's eCorridors program, as it attempts to measure broadband availability within its borders.

The county's goal is to have 300 speed tests taken around the county to locate dead zones and provide other data.

To this end, Fauquier is asking residents to participate in the program and take a two-minute speed test.

Those who take the test will be informed about how their Internet service compares with others in their area.

These tests will also give county officials an idea about where better broadband service is needed.

Such information is expected to help both economic development (telework availability) and provide better educational opportunities (online classes).

To participate in the program and take the test, visit acceleratevirginia.org.

The data collected will also assist Accelerate Virginia in creating a statewide broadband map.

Taken from Free Lance - Star
By Donnie Johnston
Date published: March 27, 2011

Virginia looks for gaps in Internet service

WASHINGTON -- What's the speed in your neighborhood? Not speed limit, but Internet speed?

A new statewide effort to map current Internet availability throughout Virginia is being compared with the Depression-era effort to spread electricity and telephones around the country.

Virginia residents, businesses, educational institutions, health care facilities and other groups are being asked to participate by providing information about the quality of their Internet connections.

The test seeks gaps in high speed Internet service.

"Broadband is a very big national imperative right now," says Jean Plymale of Accelerate Virginia, which has been working to upgrade Internet service across the state.

She says the aim is to get people in places, such as Fauquier County, where there may be gaps in service, to take the speed test. The idea is to let the government and service providers know which areas need Internet service.

Fauquier is the first county in Northern Virginia to participate in the effort.

Internet service providers often skip rural areas with thin populations because there's not enough profit in setting up service. But, Plymale says that theory has opened opportunities for small entrepreneurs to set up service.

The test allows the county to find areas where there is good service and address areas that need help. It takes about 2 minutes to complete, though Plymale says not everyone can run it.

"If your connection's really slow it's going to be really hard even to get to that website," she says.

Taken from wtop.com
By Hank Silverberg,
Published: Wednesday, March 23, 2011

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(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Forum offers no clear answer for broadband

Improved access is key to job and educational growth, but Saturday's discussion leaves questions about direction.

BLACKSBURG -- A group of approximately 100 citizens, presenters, educators, town officials and vendors met Saturday in the atrium of Kent Square in Blacksburg for a forum concerning the region's broadband future.

Breda van Gelder, director of Blacksburg Electronic Village, said that despite Blacksburg's lingering fame as America's most wired town in the early 1990s, much has changed.

There are still sections of Montgomery County and surrounding areas that do not have access to broadband technology for high-speed internet service.

Van Gelder said ideally people should be able to go from home to school to work and continue their work seamlessly without a slowdown in service.

"But that requires a specific type of infrastructure," said van Gelder. "It could be a combination of wired and wireless, but the most important thing is it has to be equal bandwidth upstream and downstream."

Generally speaking, people have more bandwidth for downloads than uploads.

"If you want to be an entrepreneur, if you want to be a producer over this network, you are thwarted because you have a smaller bandwidth," van Gelder explained.

An improved network, therefore, is important for encouraging new business and attracting outside businesses to locate in the New River Valley, especially if workers could have high-speed access in rural homes.

Patrick Fay is the communications manager for Accelerate Virginia Project, a part of Virginia Tech's information technology outreach.

The group is producing a broadband map of the state, asking citizens to participate in a speed test to develop a clear vision of quality service in the state.

The current state broadband map is created from the claims of providers, but consumers often do not get the speed providers say they have.

Fay said widespread high-speed access is improves a community's business and educational environment and makes telecommuting possible from rural areas.

"People can work from home so you can keep your workforce, keep your tax base," Fay said.

Telecommuting also offers a greener way to work, said Vinod Chachra, president and CEO of VTLS and participant in the closing panel.

In addition to reducing the use of gasoline, less energy may be expended for home and business energy use which are often heated and cooled when no one is there.

Telecommuting could cut that in half by making living and working spaces the same place.

Andrew Michael Cohill, president and CEO of Design Nine, a technology and broadband consulting firm, was one of the final presenters.

Cohill offered various models for consideration from across the country, including the city of Galax, which has the best fiber connectivity in the region.

His presentation prompted repeated questions regarding the proper broadband "prescription" for Blacksburg.

Cohill was not willing to offer a particular recommendation, but rather said the problem was not a matter of technology.

"Ownership and governance are the issues," said Cohill, noting that when those two issues are resolved, the actual implementation of broadband in the region was not an obstacle.

Cohill also said a broadband authority for the entire region would be one option to consider.

Like a water authority, a broadband authority would own the infrastructure and lease use of it to various providers for resale or distribution.

Currently, there is such an entity, The New River Valley Network Wireless Authority, but it only covers Giles and Pulaski counties.

Marilyn Buhyoff, a Blacksburg Electronic Villiage board member, clarified that no particular prescription could be derived from the day's forum itself.

"The purpose of this event is to help us as a community come up with that prescription," said Buhyoff.

"It's not going to be just the town or just Virginia Tech or just BEV or just an authority. It's going to take all of us working together to get to that next step."

Taken from Special to The Roanoke Times
By Sean Kotz
Date Published: March 22, 2011

Spring into a better broadband connection

BLACKSBURG - Spring break rapidly approaches for college students around the state. As you prepare to head off to warmer locations or back home, consider running a speed test during your break from the stressful work of school. While you may be able to instantly stream all the shows you have missed while studying for midterms, not all residents in the state are that lucky.

Many areas within Virginia have limited or nonexistent access to broadband. While this may be a minor inconvenience for some students, it has major implications for many others in the Commonwealth, like having limited access to resources like Blackboard or having trouble completing online assignments.

Increased access to broadband throughout Virginia will benefit everyone by facilitating economic growth, which means more jobs in the future, especially for college graduates. So while you are relaxing at home, take two-minutes out of your day and run a speed test at http://acceleratevirginia.org/speedtest.

The Accelerate Virginia campaign, launched in 2010 as a part of Virginia Tech's eCorridors, is working to raise broadband awareness across the state. Accelerate Virginia is a consumer driven broadband mapping campaign that collects data from speed tests run all over the state. The data collected from every speed test helps build the statewide broadband map, which in turn will be used to identify areas in need of improvement, and ultimately faster and more affordable high speed internet for all of Virginia.

The campaign is seeking consumer input on their Internet connections from every county within Virginia. As college students head home for Spring Break, Patrick Fay, communications manager for Accelerate Virginia asks that, "Everyone in Virginia with an Internet connection participate in this campaign by taking a speed test and then encouraging their friends and family to do the same. By passing the word on via Twitter or Facebook, students in the state can really make an impact."

Remember to run a speed test over your break and encourage your family and friends to do the same. Help us Accelerate Virginia!

By Mary Hawes