Beginning Aug. 24, the Commonwealth’s Office of Telework Promotion and Broadband Assistance in cooperation with the Center for Innovative Technology will be conducting an assessment of business connectedness to determine the ways businesses are connecting to and using broadband technologies including services and applications.

The assessment will help the Commonwealth with its broadband mapping intiative that is currently underway. The broadband map will help determine the areas in Virginia where future expansions of broadband service, as well as Internet training programs and other assistance, are needed.

More than 15 years ago, I encouraged local governments throughout the Ninth District to find a means of deploying broadband networks so that affordable high-speed Internet access would be available to businesses and residents throughout our region. My goal in making this recommendation was to set our region apart in comparison to other rural areas of the nation, to make us more attractive than the typical rural region to industries looking to expand their operations into new locations, and to create technology-based jobs for Southwest Virginians.

Today, I am pleased to note that many of the communities in our region are making great strides in deploying high-speed Internet access services. Last week, I visited the Blackwater community in Lee County to launch new federally funded broadband services. The new services are available to 90 homes and businesses in the community.

Additionally, I was pleased to visit Paint Bank in Craig County to announce that, at my urging, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service has awarded a grant of $1,066,321 to establish high-speed Internet access services in the communities of Paint Bank, Abbott, and Webb’s Mill in Craig County. With the benefit of the federal funds, a broadband network will be constructed to serve 295 homes and four businesses which currently do not have access to high-speed Internet services.

And last month, we also took great strides to meeting our economic development goals by expanding the region’s broadband infrastructure. At my request, on July 2, the U.S. Department of Commerce granted $22.7 million from its Recovery Act broadband grant program for a major expansion of the broadband network in an eight county area of our region.

The federal funds will enable the construction of a middle-mile fiber optic network 388 miles in length that will bring broadband service near 120 educational institutions, health clinics, and other community facilities and within 2 miles of more than 18,000 homes and more than 500 businesses.

With the middle-mile fiber optic network in place, it will be possible to provide last-mile connections to bring high-speed Internet access services to thousands of homes and businesses that do not have broadband today.

It is also projected that 295 direct jobs will be created in the construction of the network. A far larger number of jobs will be created in future years as technology-based companies that will utilize the broadband facilities locate in our region.

Just as canals, then railroads, and then highways were the major arteries of commerce in earlier eras, in the 21st Century, access to broadband will be a defining feature of economic success for rural communities. Step by positive step our expanding broadband infrastructure is assuring that Southwest Virginia’s communities will be at the center of economic opportunity.

I encourage business owners to participate in the Commonwealth’s survey to help promote further expansion of our broadband infrastructure. To participate in the online survey, please visit www.wired.virginia.gov. Should you prefer to complete a phone or paper survey, please contact Caroline Stolle at the Center for Innovative Technology at caroline.stolle@cit.org or 804.692.2558.

Rick Boucher is Congressman for the Ninth District of Virginia, which includes the New River Valley. You can catch his Capitol Commentary regularly at newrivervoice.com.