The State of Broadband in Virginia Caroline Stolle Center for Innovative Technology
Who is CIT Broadband? Provide support for localities and regions across the Commonwealth to facilitate expanded broadband access and utilization. Staff the Governor s Office of Telework Promotion and Broadband Assistance as well as the Broadband Advisory Council. Work closely with Virginia s Secretary of Technology on broadband promotion. Recipient for Virginia s ARRA funded State Broadband Initiative. Broadband Mapping Health IT Assessment Planning Tools Strategic Plans for Communities Regional Workshops
Evolution of Broadband in Virginia Promote telework & broadband Raise awareness of the need to have access Map coverage Broadband Roundtable Broadband Toolkit (methodology for expanding access) Pre-ARRA ARRA Expand and improve coverage mapping Develop tools and resources to work in conjunction with the Broadband Toolkit facilitate the planning of broadband deployments Develop a broadband awareness and adoption plan for the Commonwealth Benchmark Virginia s access and utilization in comparison with other states Ensure Virginia policies and tax programs incent broadband expansion Identify underserved areas to target access improvement Facilitate communities leveraging the Toolkit and associated tools to expand access Facilitate communities leveraging the guide and resources to increase adoption & utilization Recommendations to improve Virginia s national ranking Post-ARRA
Broadband? Yeah I think I know what that is Broadband Basics
Broadband Touches Everything Economic Development Citizen Engagement Education Broadband Innovation Healthcare Public Safety
Broadband Glossary Internet access speed / Bandwidth The number of bytes of data that can travel to / from the Internet in a second Usually measure in milliseconds Broadband A large number of messages transmitted simultaneously Defined by NTIA Mapping 768Kbps/200Kbps Typically at least 3Mbps/1Mbps (varies) Internet access capacity The speed of data transfer x the number of users (think schools) Broadband Adoption People using technology and the Internet for communications or entertainment or social networking or.. Broadband Utilization People and companies using the Internet to improve their lives (education, jobs, etc.)
The Technologies DSL Digital Subscriber Line - telephone copper carrying data Constrained distance from CO, limited speeds/capacity Cable coax and fiber to deliver TV and data somewhat limited in capacity depending on implementation Fixed Wireless point to multipoint wireless radios to support data Line of sight to tower, constrained only by technology (rapidly advancing) Fiber fiber optic supporting data transmission via light waves unlimited Expensive, lasts forever, supports all applications Bristol Utilities, ndanville, several middle mile projects Satellite new technology, option for partnerships Much improved, still some latency, data caps Cellular mobile wireless telephony and data speed limited by technology, proximity to tower, data caps
Download Speeds Upload Speeds Service Type Examples Typical Applications 768 Kbps - 1.5 Mbps 256 Kbps - 896 Kbps DSL Basic Email Cable Modem Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) Fiber Optics Web Browsing Satellite YouTube Video Cellular Fixed Wireless 1.5 Mbps - 3 Mbps 356 Kbps to 1 Mbps DSL Remote Surveillance Cable Modem Telecommuting Fiber Optics Streaming Music Satellite Standard Definition Video Cellular Fixed Wireless 3 Mbps - 6 Mbps 356 Kbps to 1 Mbps DSL Enhanced Definition Digital Video Cable Modem File Sharing (small/medium) Fixed Wireless Fiber Optics 6 Mbps - 10 Mbps 768 Kbps to 2 Mbps DSL Video On-Demand Cable Modem Remote Diagnosis (basic) Fixed Wireless Fiber Optic Gaming 10 Mbps - 25 Mbps 2 Mbps to 5 Mbps Cable Modem Telemedicine Fixed Wireless Remote Education Fiber Optics Cable Modem 25 Mbps - 100 Mbps 5 Mbps to <100 Mbps Fiber Optics HD Surveillance Fixed Wireless Smart/Intelligent Bldg. Control Fiber Optics Educational Services More than 100 Mbps 100 Mbps Multiple Educational Services Reseach Applications Remote Supercomputing
Broadband Speeds 4-6 Mbps for most homes today Supports email, web browsing, can be constrained by multiple users. 6-10 Mbps is middle ground Online gaming, VoD, still may be constrained by large families. 10-15 Mbps is the highway Everything is faster, streaming HD video, telemedicine, distance learning. 15-50 Mbps is a western interstate Supports large families, everyone online. HD video surveillance, connected home. 50 Mbps + --wide open Remote super computing, video conferencing (multiple users), realtime medical image consultation. It s a moving target!
What do schools need? Typical recommendation is 100 Kbps per student. So A school of 1,000 students would need about 10 Mbps. SETDA Recommends: 100 Mbps per 1,000 students/staff by 2014-15 school year & at least 1 Gbps per 1,000 students/staff by 2017-18 school year.
I think we re pretty well covered, right? Broadband in Virginia
Broadband in Virginia According to the Virginia Broadband Map, 98.2% of Virginians have access to broadband. Includes mobile and satellite. DSL 83.3%, Cable 82.8%, Fiber 45.9% You also have to remember that our population distribution looks like this
Percentage of Households in Virginia by County Covered by Broadband Speeds Above 3 mbps Download and 1 mbps Upload
Percentage of Households by County with Broadband Access in Virginia The FCC definition of broadband access is a download speed faster than 10 Megabits per second
Ok, I see there s a problem, but why is there a problem? Broadband Barriers
Main Barriers Cost to deploy Revenue = (# of Customers * cost) - cost of build & Adoption
King and Queen Adoption Survey
So what s the answer? Eliminating Barriers
What Communities Can Do Needs Assessment Where is coverage where are the gaps What assets do you have? towers, conduit, fiber MAP THEM!!! Don t over build infrastructure! Aggregate demand sustainability, buying power Lower costs & eliminate barriers make it easy Review zoning & permitting policies & fees Awareness & Adoption are important It s about improving lives and the economy not NetFlix / Facebook Build a community PC Refurbishment program to provide computers Make digital literacy training available to them and ensure they know it is available Broadband is an economic development asset You need a Champion it requires leadership Leverage the community resources (people, assets & partnerships) Providers will NOT do it if left alone Funding Not a lot of funding available now but need to have a solid business case for future
What School Boards Can Do Engage your telecom committee, planning district committee, town council, etc. Encourage your local government to adopt telecom-friendly policies. Engage parents. Provide after hours access.
Thanks! Caroline Stolle Program Assistant Center for Innovative Technology Caroline.stolle@cit.org