Virginia Releases Interactive Broadband Availability Map

The commonwealth's Secretary of Technology Jim Duffey introduced the Virginia Broadband Availability Map this week. It is an interactive map searchable by locality which aims to highlight the availability or unavailability of broadband internet service.

Broadband internet is defined as being high-speed internet access (with speeds of at least 4Megabits/second for downloads and 1Mbps for uploads) that is always on. Both the federal government and the Virginia government see the availability of affordable broadband as a necessary tool for economic development and civic engagement.

"This new map will play a vital role in our efforts to ensure that all Virginians have access to affordable, reliable broadband services. Having the ability to identify and closely analyze unserved areas, gives us the opportunity to strategically align resources and pursue collaborative efforts between public and private organizations to expand broadband coverage across the Commonwealth," said Secretary Duffey. "Improving access will revolutionize the way many Virginians work, are educated, and receive their healthcare - imperatives to economic growth and quality of life in the Commonwealth."

The map shows both wired and wireless broadband. Here in the close in suburbs (Fairfax, Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria and Prince William) most every home has access to either wireline (through cable, DSL or fiber-optic) or wireless (through cell phone providers or community-based initiatives) broadband. The map does show, however that as soon as you cross into Fauquier, Loudon or Stafford counties, the availability of wireline broadband gets to be more sporadic.

The inability to access broadband internet either due to lack of availability from a provider or due to high cost is a true hindrance to opportunity. To address these twin issues, there are Federal and State iniatives which target schools, community colleges and libraries as frontline centers for community access to broadband.

Think of all of the basic governmental functions that you now use the internet to access: the DMV, local taxes, libraries, and the local courts. Schools rely on the internet to communicate with parents and for the students to complete assignments. Information on zoning, public assistance, job searches--the efficient provision of information and services in these times relies on access to the internet.

The map isn't a perfect tool. It is difficult to navigate among the various options (I had difficulty with the address search in particular) but if you click on a particular point and choose 'identify' a drop down menu of the various services available and speeds appears. You can check and uncheck boxes in the layer list to show you wireline and wireless broadband availability. The home page for 'Wired Virginia' has three buttons for your use. 'Test your connection' performs a real time test of your internet speed; the 'Broadband Toolkit' gives an outline of the steps involved to establish community-based broadband if not available from a commercial provider and 'Find a Provider Near You' has links to three sites that give information on commercial broadband providers.

There has been a lot of discussion of the 'digital divide'--a world where there are people who access to high speed internet and those who do not--this is an iniative meant to assess how far we have come in bridging it and showing clearly where we need to keep working.