Roanoke, Virginia, to Move Forward With Regional Broadband Network

Roanoke, Virginia, plans to move ahead as a participant in a 42-mile broadband network after its City Council voted 6-0 Monday night to appropriate $100,000 toward final engineering costs for the project. The Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority-proposed (RVBA) network also will serve nearby Salem. There are also proposals to extend the network into adjacent Roanoke and Botetourt counties. Salem’s City Council is set to vote this month on whether to appropriate $100,000 for engineering costs. RVBA estimates the network's Roanoke and Salem portions will cost about $4 million.