Commonwealth Connection - Virginia Broadband Map

COMMONWEALTH CONNECTION

Mapping Virginia's Expanding Broadband Access

Virginia Budget Bill 2021

"...develop a statewide broadband availability map indicating broadband coverage, including maximum broadband speeds available in service territories in the Commonwealth..."

What is Commonwealth Connection?

It is more than a map...

Commonwealth Connection is a powerful tool developed by Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and Virginia Tech that allows Virginians to discover broadband in their neighborhood and filter specific details. The information is 100% based on information submitted by internet service providers (ISPs) in Virginia

A Powerful Tool Created for Virginians

Residents, government representatives, and internet service providers, can use this tool to explore broadband throughout Virginia. This tool can help broadband providers and government representatives expand broadband for all Virginians.

All broadband information on Commonwealth Connection was provided by broadband providers in Virginia to help in the effort to get every Virginian fast and reliable access to the internet.

Moving? Use Commonwealth Connection to explore the broadband coverage at your future address!

This tool is not purely just for broadband. Find your US Congressional District, VA State Senate and State House Districts, Census Block ID, and more.

FCC, August 2019

"...[Census block-level reporting] has made it difficult for [FCC] to direct funding to the "gaps" in broadband coverage—those areas where some, but not all, homes and businesses have access to modern communications services.

What are the Differences in Collection Methods?

FCC’s NEW Broadband Data Collection (BDC) has just been added to Commonwealth Connection!

Compare both Virginia and FCC’s address-level broadband coverage maps!

See the differences in location-level data

Virginia Collection Method

FCC Collection Method

Address vs. Fabric Data

The Commonwealth of Virginia maintains a publicly available address database that is updated frequently by Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) experts throughout the Commonwealth. Not every state has this information, therefore the FCC has generated a nationwide Fabric database for all broadband serviceable locations. The FCC Fabric is location based, which differs from Virginia’s address based data.

Virginia Geographic Information Network

Publicly Available

Virginia Only

Addresses are updated every 3 months

Challenge process coming in 2023

Source

Availability

Location

Updated

Accuracy

Proprietary fabric address data

Not Publicly Available

Nationwide

Unknown

Challenge process active

Census Blocks

All broadband information on Commonwealth Connection are displayed by Census Blocks instead of individual addresses to protect anonymity of residents and providers.

Census blocks are defined as “statistical areas bounded by visible features, such as streets, roads, streams, and railroad tracks, and by nonvisible boundaries, such as selected property lines and city, township, school district, and county limits and short line-of-sight extensions of streets and roads.”
- US Census Bureau

http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/sf1.pdf.

FCC, January 2021

"...millions of Americans lack access to such service but live in areas where lower-speed or nonterrestrial broadband services are available. [FCC] believe[s] it is important to understand the types of services available in these areas..."

How Fast is Broadband in Virginia?

FCC's Broadband Definition

In 2015, FCC stated that the minimum speed for Broadband should be 100 mbps download and 20 mbps upload.

Anything slower than the definition of Broadband are excluded from Commonwealth Connection.

Exploring the Differences in Speed and Technology

Test Your Internet Speed

Our Speed Test tool is a great way to see how fast your current internet speed is and may help discover connectivity issues.

Speed tests are measured from the device used at your current location.

To test at a certain address, you will have to run the test from that location.

What can affect your broadband speed?

Peak hours can be slower (Cable only)

Network signal strength (Cellular only)

Your internet speed package

Your local WiFi signal strength

Equipment and devices

Building construction

Virginia Budget Bill 2021

"... Broadband service providers shall be required to submit updated service territory data to the Department annually. The Department shall establish a process, timeline, and specific data requirements for broadband providers to submit their data..."

Where is the Coverage of Broadband in Virginia?

Commonwealth Connection will be able to show broadband statistics for your county/city, state senate and house districts^*, and federal congressional districts for Virginia Residents and their representatives to help increase broadband access.

Analyze Broadband Access in Virginia

List of Internet Service Providers in Your Census Block

See the most current up to date provider submitted information
Compare submitted information sent to Virginia vs. FCC

Visualize the Statistics on Your Districts

Compare submitted information sent to Virginia vs. FCC
See rankings of each district for broadband access

Percentages of Virginians with Broadband Access

Compare entire blocks and break down by rural/urban percentages

^*The 2022 release of Commonwealth Connection utilizes the 2019 boundaries for the House of Delegates and State Senate. These boundaries will be udated once the 2022 elections are held.

Virginia Budget Bill 2021

"...funds shall be used for providing financial assistance to supplement construction costs by private sector broadband service providers to extend service to areas that presently are unserved by any broadband provider..."

How to Expand Broadband in Virginia?

Virginia is Working Diligently to Connect all Virginians

For a list of various broadband funding programs in Virginia, go to
www.dhcd.virginia.gov/broadband

Discover Various Towers/Assets in Virginia

Commonwealth Connection provides access to view publicly available Wi-Fi hotspots with the information to get you online.

Vertical Assets serves as a repository of location information for tall structures that have the potential to serve as wireless transmission sites.

Programs to Expand Broadband Access

The Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) extends broadband service to currently unserved areas. VATI prepares communities to build, utilize, and capitalize on telecommunications infrastructure with the goal of creating strong, competitive communities.

Community Anchor Institutions (CAI) consist of schools, government buildings, libraries, hospitals, colleges/universities, public safety, and other community organizations that assist vulnerable populations such as low-income, unemployed, and the elderly to get broadband access. One example is a library with free to use computers with broadband access.

Fiber	Fastest and most reliable. Download and upload speeds are typically the same (synchronous). Despite being the least available for customers, fiber is expanding quick!
Cable	Widely available and most popular. Can be quite cheap when bundled with other services from the same provider.
Mobile	Growing quickly! Some mobile devices are seeing faster speeds than their home internet speeds. Some providers offer an at-home mobile connection.
Fixed Wireless	Another fast growing connection that is popular with customers that do not have easy access to fiber or cable connections. Speeds vary greatly by providers.
DSL	Utilizing phone lines, it is the most widely available broadband wireline connections.
Satellite	Satellite is available for anyone with a south view of the sky; however, satellite internet has too long of a delay (or latency) between data packets to travel across the network. Due to the high latency of satellite internet, it will not be shown on Commonwealth Connection.