Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative (MBC) and EMBARQ have joined a public-private partnership to bring high speed Internet to residents in Patrick, Campbell, Halifax and Bedford Counties in VA.
STUART, VA., Aug. 20, 2007 - A public-private partnership between EMBARQ and the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative (MBC) soon will bring affordable EMBARQTM High Speed Internet service to as many as 3,000 additional residential and business customers in Patrick, Campbell, Halifax and Bedford counties.
EMBARQ initially will invest $900,000 to add equipment at 10 Stuart-area sites in Patrick County and nine sites in Altavista and Brookneal areas of Campbell, Halifax and Bedford counties. EMBARQ will receive a 50 percent match in capital from MBC, through funding provided by the Virginia Tobacco Commission (VTC).
"We are pleased to be able to significantly expand broadband to these areas of Virginia," said Pat Stutzman, EMBARQ regional vice president-network. "We face a number of challenges in extending broadband service into very rural areas, and this partnership makes it possible to offer services much earlier than prevailing economic factors would have allowed."
EMBARQ is one of six companies that will be partnering with MBC to expand broadband in Stuart, Altavista, Appomattox, Brookneal and Lawrenceville, Va. MBC's use of VTC funding matched investments by EMBARQ and the other private-sector telecommunications companies to accelerate deployment of broadband to Southside Virginia communities.
"It would be hard to overstate the economic development impact of this deployment," said Steve Parrott, state executive for Virginia. "This project ensures that Southside Virginia will play an increasingly important role in the state's educational and technological evolution. It is great news for our customers and our communities."
Construction is expected to begin in September, with deployment expected to begin in December 2007. The project is expected to be completed by March 31, 2008.
Date:Monday, 20 August 2007
Source: Martinsville Daily.com
