Broadband Expansion to Reach About 1,600 Bedford County Addresses

Federal, state and local officials gather in Moneta as national BEAD projects receive final approval

BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. — About 1,600 Bedford County addresses are expected to gain broadband access through a federal program aimed at expanding high-speed internet service in rural and underserved areas.

Federal, state and local officials gathered Aug. 25 at Bedford County Supervisor Edgar Tuck’s farm in Moneta to discuss the local impact of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment, or BEAD, program.

Tuck Farm is among the Bedford County properties slated to receive broadband access through the program.

Most addresses included in Bedford County’s BEAD project area will be connected with fiber provided by Moneta-based ZiTel. SpaceX and Amazon will provide low-Earth-orbit satellite broadband service to the remaining addresses.

During the event, Arielle Roth, assistant secretary of commerce and administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, announced that BEAD projects for all 56 participating states and territories have received approval.

The approvals represent a significant milestone for the federal broadband initiative, which was created to expand high-speed internet availability in areas that lack adequate service.

Other participants in the Bedford County event included Chandler Vaughan of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development’s Office of Broadband; Bedford County Supervisor Edgar Tuck; Rodney Gray of ZiTel; Ashley de la Torre of Amazon; and U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith.