The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) is the recipient of a $12.2 million Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) grant announced yesterday by Governor Glenn Youngkin. The TJPDC again partnered with Firefly Fiber Broadband to secure 2024 VATI funding through the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). This funding will support a $48.6 million expansion to our current (VATI 2022) project with Firefly by building on existing infrastructure, incorporating the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (CVEC) fiber network, and continuing the collaborative partnerships with Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Dominion Energy, and county governments. The TJPDC will serve as the grant administrator for the project, which was one of 10 that were funded by over $41 million in state VATI funds.
The goal of the VATI 2024 project is to bring broadband at gigabit speeds to an additional 5,825 eligible locations in 10 of the counties included in our current VATI-supported project, including Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Campbell, Fluvanna, Goochland, Greene, Louisa, Madison, and Powhatan counties.
“The TJPDC is proud to continue our current partnership with Firefly to reach the objective of providing universal broadband access to all underserved and unserved areas in Central Virginia,” said Christine Jacobs, TJPDC Executive Director. “We look forward to more collaboration with this great team to further advance the provision of high-speed fiber internet across the project area.”
Administered by DHCD, the VATI program provides targeted financial assistance to extend broadband service to areas that are unserved by an internet service provider. For this FY24 grant round, 25 applicants sought more than $170 million in funding.
Contact: Lori Allshouse, VATI Program Director, lallshouse@tjpdc.org
David Blount, Deputy Director dblount@tjpdc.org