COMMOMWEALTH of VIRGINIA

Office of the Governor

 

September 9, 2008

The Honorable Timothy M. Kaine
Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia
1111 E. Broad Street, 3rd Floor
Richmond, VA 23219

Dear Governor Kaine:

On behalf of all the members of the Commonwealth Broadband Roundtable, we are pleased to present the final report of the Broadband Roundtable.

Since the formation of the Roundtable in the summer of 2007, the group has been diligently working to prepare a report that can serve as a helpful tool for localities across the Commonwealth working to bring affordable broadband to their businesses and citizens. We created subcommittees that researched and gathered information on a variety of topics, including Broadband Adoption Measurement, Broadband Technologies, Innovative Applications, Business Models, and Community Outreach.

In order to provide a readily accessible, easy-to-use product we decided to assemble an online “toolkit” for localities to use as a guide as they work on broadband deployment initiatives in their areas. The toolkit will feature a variety of elements, including information on broadband-dependent applications, the various broadband technologies available and the characteristics of each, and case studies from localities across the Commonwealth that have successfully implemented broadband deployment in their communities.

With the help of the members of the Roundtable and others, we have also made great strides in mapping current broadband availability in the Commonwealth, and now have a more comprehensive map of availability for existing businesses, economic development prospects and homes across the state. We are hopeful that these materials will provide the assistance many localities need as they make decisions and work to deploy broadband in their communities. We will continue to market this toolkit across the state to make local decision-makers aware of this important information.

As co-chairs of the Broadband Roundtable, we would like to thank you for your leadership on this very important topic, and we look forward to continuing to work with you as we strive to provide affordable access to broadband to all of the businesses and citizens of the Commonwealth.

Sincerely,

Mark R. Warner	Aneesh P. Chopra