On this episode, we hear from Dr. Tamarah Holmes, director of the Office of Broadband for the state of Virginia.

Since the office was established in 2019, Dr. Holmes says Virginia has successfully closed half of its digital divide. Recently, the state's Governor Ralph Northam announced plans to invest $700 million in federal relief money toward achieving universal broadband access over the next three years.

Dr. Holmes and I discuss how Virginia has been able to address connectivity needs through the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative, or the VATI program, for last-mile deployments, why it helps that the state's broadband office sits within the Department of Housing and Community Development, and how her office is preparing to distribute state and federal aid to close the remaining divide.

Link to access the state's VATI grant program (just remember... Dog, House, Cat, Dog!): https://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/vati