Welcome to the James Exchange: Monday Matters August 30, 2021. I am your host, Nancy Gill. In today’s episode, Donna Price and I talked about broadband. This episode was recorded on Thursday, August 26 for publication today.
In preparing for our conversation, I did a little research on internet offerings in our region. There are two basic business models: residential and commercial. For instance, CenturyLink/Lumen has fiber optic capabilities in the Town of Scottsville. This is only available to our business community. The residents rely on DSL.
As a note of interest: In the mid-1980s Williams Communications Company laid fiber-optic cable alongside their natural gas pipelines. One of their lines, Transcontinental, is about 10,000 miles long and goes from Texas to New York City. This line passes about five miles to the south of Scottsville. I could do a podcast on the Williams Company and fiber, but to untangle the history from the 1980s to the present is a time-consuming task. My point is fiber-optic broadband isn’t new, and it is all around us.
On another note, several County residents have reached out to Donna asking why or if Albemarle can sue CenturyLink. The short answer is no because only those who contract with a company are in a position for bringing litigation. She has also reached out to county staff to start thinking long term on potential solutions. RISE is hopefully the beginning of this. After listening to this episode, you will know what RISE is.
I hope you enjoy the show with Donna, and mark your calendars for September 20 for the Albermarle Broadband Authority’s (ABBA—nothing musical here folks) presentation to Town Council.
The James Exchange: Monday Matters 8.30