Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that Virginia has published a proposal to complete the Commonwealth’s goal of providing high-speed internet connection to all homes, businesses, and community centers.
The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) published the Commonwealth’s Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Final Proposal which, once approved, will award $613 million in federal funding to connect the last 133,500 Virginia locations not yet covered by high-speed internet services.
The program has recommended awards for broadband expansion projects in Accomack and Northampton Counties, totaling 4,133 locations.
In Accomack County, three providers received funding: Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services was awarded 10 locations, the Eastern Shore of Virginia Broadband Authority (ESVBA) received the largest share with 3,359 locations, and SpaceX was awarded 1 location.
In Northampton County, Amazon Kuiper Commercial Services received 3 locations, while ESVBA was awarded 760 locations. These awards are subject to review and approval by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and are part of a broader statewide initiative to expand high-speed internet access across underserved areas in Virginia.
“Day one, we made a promise to connect all Virginia homes and businesses to reliable, high-speed internet, and these grants, once approved, will fund the last step to keeping that promise,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “All Virginians should be proud that we are the nation’s leader in broadband connections, having built 3.5 times more connections in the past four years than any other state. And with the new rules approved by Secretary Lutnick that cut red tape, we are able to do it while saving $200 million taxpayer dollars, a 25 percent savings.”
Virginia’s Final Proposal is now open for public comment for a 7-day window before it is submitted to the NTIA for final approval.
