Rural broadband expands in Amherst County

AMHERST COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) — Ramsey Cabinets, a business in Amherst County that has operated for nearly half a century, says a switch to a rural internet provider has changed how it operates.

Matt Ramsey, general manager of Ramsey Cabinets, said the company is now in its second generation of ownership.

Much of the company’s work takes place in its workshop, but Ramsey said the business now depends on computers to complete projects.

“A lot of our software has to have the internet to run,” Ramsey said.

A year ago, Ramsey said the company’s internet service was unreliable.

“It was hit or miss at times,” Ramsey said.

The company then switched to Firefly Fiber, an internet provider that serves rural areas. Ramsey said the business would struggle without it.

“I don’t know if we could function,” Ramsey said. “The communication piece, just that everyone uses emails (and) forwards documents. That’s priceless.”

Lori Saunders, Amherst County’s director of economic development, said reliable internet has become a necessity for doing business.

“It’s infrastructure. If you don’t have it, we as a county can’t be competitive. The businesses can’t be competitive,” Saunders said.

Demand for dependable internet access increased during the pandemic.

Melissa Gay, with Firefly Fiber, said meeting that demand is the company’s mission.

“Our commitment is to provide universal broadband offering for any underserved area in the 14 counties that we serve,” Gay said.

Ramsey said internet access also affects the community beyond business use.

“Especially in rural areas, that’s kind of a cultural link to relatives or friends,” Ramsey said.

Firefly Fiber says it will continue working to reach everyone in the areas it serves.