From Northern Neck Electric Cooperative:
Brad Hicks, president and CEO of Northern Neck Electric Cooperative, represented Virginia’s electric cooperatives at the bill signing of HB2304 and SB1413 with the Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, on June 9 in Franklin, Virginia.
The law will expand broadband access in Virginia by allowing investor-owned electric utilities to recover costs of and revenue from expanding broadband to unserved areas. This paves the way for Virginia’s electric cooperatives, including Northern Neck Electric Cooperative to create partnerships with other investor-owned electric utilities, like Dominion Energy, to establish broadband in their service areas.
“Every Virginian needs access to high speed internet to participate in modern society,” said the Governor. “And the pandemic has highlighted how urgent this is – for workers, for businesses, for students, for telehealth.”
After the bill signing, Hicks said, “Since the 1930s, it has been the role of the electric cooperatives to connect their communities with the world through electricity. Today, the need to connect is similar, but the tool is broadband. This law will allow cooperatives like ours to better serve our members, our communities, and our region, connecting them to the world.”
In 2020, Northern Neck Electric Cooperative signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dominion Energy and All Points Broadband to aid in the deployment of broadband throughout the Northern Neck. Work has begun on the project in the western part of the region.
