Tired of seeing spinning wheels on buffering videos and websites that load at a glacial pace? So is Newport News. That\u2019s why the city is investing in infrastructure to get more people connected to high-speed internet.<\/p>\n
The city announced last week it plans to kickstart its Digital Infrastructure Expansion Initiative using a $2 million federal investment. The money will be used to lay high-speed fiber network cables from Newport News and Hampton, through the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel and connect to existing fiber networks in South Hampton Roads.<\/p>\n
Digital infrastructure is in demand as residents, businesses and localities are consuming more data in recent years, according to Newport News Innovation Program Manager Marlin McDaniel. He said 30% of Newport News residents don\u2019t have high-speed internet access and the city is in need of system updates to ensure residents and businesses can stay connected.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat limits how much data can be downloaded in a home, in a business or sent out to other places where data is going to need to go, so that\u2019s really the big gap that we\u2019re trying to address,\u201d McDaniel said. \u201cAnd we\u2019ve seen communities successfully address this gap.\u201d<\/p>\n
Residents without fiber access currently top out at one gigabit download speeds, according to McDaniel, with people \u201cusually\u201d experiencing slower service than that. With the fiber upgrades, he said they can expect to experience 10 gigabits per second.<\/p>\n
The $2 million in federal funding was included in the 2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act as Community Project Funding sponsored by Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott.<\/p>\n
Extending the Peninsula\u2019s fiber network across the two bridges would cost roughly $1.5 million each, said McDaniel, meaning the funds would only cover phases of the larger project. The city is currently conducting needs assessments to understand how much new infrastructure is required, which will be ready by the end of the year.<\/p>\n
Fiber networks are one aspect of Newport News\u2019 digital infrastructure\u00a0that were mentioned alongside data centers at a recent town hall discussion<\/a>.\u00a0But McDaniel said the investment is not specifically meant to attract data centers to the city.<\/p>\n \u201cCould data centers, in theory if they were here, which is not in the cards, use it? Yeah. Trucks can use our roads,\u201d McDaniel said. \u201cThat\u2019s something they could ultimately use, but we don\u2019t have any sort of data center conversations or investments happening right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"File](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/TVP-FILE-CABLE-Wire-Staff-001.jpg\")
File photo of cables being placed underground along General Booth Boulevard near South Birdneck Road in 2017. Peninsula residents without fiber access currently top out at one gigabit download speeds, with people “usually” experiencing slower service than that. With the fiber upgrades, they can expect to experience 10 gigabits per second. (Staff\/File)<\/p>\n