(An Interview With Buckingham County IT Manager Jamie Shumaker)
Jamie Shumaker
Buckingham County Guidebook (BCG) –
Do you have any way of estimating how many homes and businesses in Buckingham now have Broadband?
While there is no published compilation of quantifiable data, if we take into account the FCC Broadband Coverage Map and the Commonwealth’s Connect data, we deduce that around 35% – 40% of County residents and businesses have Broadband, or near Broadband speeds, at this time. The estimated coverage numbers are presented to the FCC by telecommunication providers throughout the County.
(BCG) What Broadband providers are currently available in the County?
Buckingham has expanded available broadband providers three-fold in just the last two years, when Broadband services were only available through HughesNet, Wildblue and CenturyLink. Additionally, locally owned Kinex Telecom has been working to bring fiber to many areas throughout the County. Utilizing the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Corporation (MBC) fiber network, Kinex has been able to add residents and businesses throughout Buckingham. They provide internet to several large users such as the Buckingham County Public Schools as well as the Administration Building and Courthouse, and are continuing to build fiber around these areas and providing service to the residents that they pass. A great percentage of Buckingham residents with current access to broadband depend on the local telephone provider, CenturyLink, for access to high-speed internet. In August of 2020, Comcast announced its infrastructure expansion in the County to cover approximately 1800 homes at project completion, possibly in the summer of 2021. Finally, Central VA Electric Co-op (CVEC) coverage, serviced through their subsidiary Firefly, is estimated to be completed by mid-2022 and offer as many as 4590 passings (a resident or business that will have the opportunity to become a customer).
(BCG) Do you know about how many homes and businesses outside the CVEC coverage area will be serviced through their subsidiary Firefly?
Outside of the CVEC service territory, Firefly has committed to an additional 1200 locations based on FCC auction awards, and have applied for several grants that would potentially add another 800 homes and businesses to their network (if the grants are awarded). At present, Firefly service is available to 1200 locations within Buckingham. By this summer (2021), that number is expected to increase to 3200. Through their initiative, all CVEC customers, which include a great majority of the western part of Buckingham, will have access to fiber broadband.
(BCG) How is Buckingham County encouraging Broadband expansion?
As Senator Mark Peake has stated, “Access to the internet is no longer a nicety; it is a necessity. We absolutely depend on it. Broadband has become an important part of the Commonwealth’s infrastructure and nowhere is that infrastructure weaker than in our rural areas.” As a rural area, it is increasingly important for Buckingham to make sure that our residents are able to have access to broadband for education, career opportunities, healthcare services, and social awareness. Local government is keenly aware of the importance of broadband and the dangers of the lack thereof. We are constantly pursuing opportunities to expand coverage areas of existing providers and exploring viable alternative providers through grassroots conversational efforts, grant applications, and Virginia committees that encourage advancement.
by Dan Curran, Publisher,
Buckingham County Guidebook