Campbell County considers wireless broadband proposal

CAMPBELL COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - The demand for Internet service has spiked during the pandemic.

In Campbell County, that demand could be met Tuesday night.

“Really the proposal covers quite a large swath of the county - areas into Concord, down to Gladys, so it covers quite a range of territory, but it’s areas that are presently un-served,” said Frank Rogers, Campbell County administrator.

The county’s board of supervisors will consider a broadband proposal at Tuesday’s meeting.

The proposal comes from Salem-based B2X Online, which says Internet is how work and school get done nowadays.

“Life as we know it has changed. Internet is now the primary way of communication, work, school and the like,” said Warren Kane, B2X Online CEO.

Rogers shares that sentiment; schools across the area are faced with virtual learning as the start of school nears.

“We know the schools are presenting options to the community - do you want to come back in person a couple days per week, do you want to do some online learning? We want as many people as possible to consider both those options,” said Rogers.

An option some might not have when it comes to work.

Some folks could be teleworking and need reliable broadband to continue their job.

“We also know that teleworking and Internet access is critical for folks remaining viable in the economy, so we want to make sure that’s a real opportunity for folks as well,” said Rogers.

Although the county had been looking for broadband options before, Rogers says this opportunity is promising.

CARES Act dollars would be used to fund the project.

Because the deadline to use CARES Act funding runs out at the end of the year, the project, if approved, would have to be done by then.

Copyright 2020 WDBJ. All rights reserved.