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By Kevin Allen
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
A cooperative effort between the Rappahannock County government and local citizens searching for ways to expand the availability of high-speed Internet service has produced some conclusions.
The Broadband Initiative committee found that no single service or technology will provide a “magic bullet” for the community. But some actions by the county government would facilitate the expansion of service from existing providers.
The 10-person committee comprised of County Administrator John McCarthy, two members of the Board of Supervisors and seven citizens produced an 11-page report with four main recommendations.
First, the county should request that Embarq evaluate the feasibility of upgrading its Flint. Hill and Huntly relay stations to wire centers capable of providing DSL service.
Second, the county should participate frilly in the' Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development’s rural broadband study. The department awarded Rappahannock’s participation with a $25,000 grant, which requires no match in local funds.
Third, the county should amend its code to exempt certain facilities from the requirement for specialexception permitting, in cases where such facilities are for local broadband service.
Fourth, the county government and schools’ demand for broadband service should be leveraged to seek expanded broadband service for under served areas of Rappahannock.
The report was presented to the Board of Supervisors earlier this month, and the supervisors voted unanimously to support the four recommendations.
McCarthy coordinated the Broadband Initiative. County residents appointed to serve on the committee were James Gannon, Michael Mahoney, Chris Payne, Doug Schiffinan, Raymond Stamps, Jeff Turner and Louise Van Dort. The Board of Supervisors was represented on the committee by Eddie Wayland (Piedmont District) and Roger Welch (Wakefield).
There are several broadband providers that market their product in Rappahannock, but all of them have limited service areas in the county.
The study broke Internet service providers into two categories: wired and over air. The wired providers offering broadband service in the county are two telephone companies and one cable television company.
Verizon provides DSL service from its hub in Sperryville and Embarq provides DSL from its hub in the Town of Washington. DSL service typically costs $15 to $60 per month, according to the report.
“The technological limitation on DSL is such that,
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