Rural residents of Spotsylvania County have access to expanded 5G high-speed internet service thanks to the county’s new partnership with DataStream Broadband, Incorporated, marking the first time 5G service is offered in rural Virginia. Broadband services are now available in the Wilderness and Belmont areas of the county. Residents who have already signed up for the service are excited to finally have access to reliable high-speed internet where they live and work.
The county, in coordination with the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce and DataStream, held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Wilderness radio tower site in western Spotsylvania on Thursday, April 1, 2021. Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisor Chairman Kevin Marshall, 7th District Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, and DataStream President & CEO Sean Lee, were on hand to offer remarks about the success of this endeavor, and its positive impact on the community.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for high-speed access for those working from home professionally, for remote education, telemedicine and small business. With DataStream services that work to bridge the digital divide throughout the county, rural communities are gaining access to important services and are able to participate in our increasingly digital society and economy.
“County staff has been working very hard to obtain this coverage and we’re finally going to have reliable broadband coverage in our rural communities,” said Kevin Marshall, Chairman of the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors. “Broadband should be treated like any other utility, such as water and electricity. For the residents of my district in Berkeley and Vice Chairman Barry Jett’s Livingston district, this is something we’ve been looking forward to, needed for a long time and is great for our educational system. I’d like to thank DataStream for helping to bring this service to Spotsylvania County.”
“I would like thank Chief Information Officer Jane Reeve, Berkeley Supervisor Kevin Marshall, Livingston Supervisor Barry Jett and staff for giving DataStream the opportunity to bring and build the latest 5G compatible technology into Spotsylvania County,” said Sean Lee, DataStream President and CEO. “DataStream understands the real need of high-speed broadband in the rural communities. We will continue to work with Spotsylvania, expanding the building throughout the county as needed.”
The state, through COVID-19 Recovery Act funding, recognized the increased importance of broadband expansion in light of the pandemic and allocated funding for eligible projects. Spotsylvania County was successful in receiving sufficient funding to support DataStream’s plans to move directly from their planned LTE implementation to 5G technology, which provides internet speeds that meet and exceed FCC guidelines.
The County is excited to work with service providers on the expansion of high-speed broadband services, and continues to look for additional opportunities to expand these services to underserved and unserved communities.
About Data Stream Broadband Inc.
Headquartered Fort Lauderdale FL, Data Stream Broadband is one of Virginia’s fastest growing Rural Broadband service providers. Data Stream Group has been providing innovative fixed wireless and mobile broadband solutions to rural customers at work, home and play. Today, Data Stream offers Voice and Data communication services through its unique hybrid fiber wireless network that connects rural America to what matters.