Amherst County applies for $300,000 grant to get more towers for broadband service

County leaders signed contract with local provider, service coming in spring

AMHERST, Va. – Amherst County's high speed internet efforts are moving along fairly well.

Last Friday, Gov. Ralph Northam announced a $50 million proposal in the budget to help families in rural counties gain better access to broadband services.

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In Amherst, they're hoping that money will help them get more towers.

County leaders say they've signed a contract with SCS Broadband out of Nelson County. They will be placing five towers in the county. The first one will go up in February.

The county recently applied for a $300,000 Virginia Access to the Internet grant to help them get smaller towers throughout the other parts of the county.

"There's a lot of people in our rural areas that have difficulty receiving a signal. So we're going to need a lot of little towers to reach the low places. or the places behind mountains," said Dean Rodgers, county administrator.

County officials say the SCS Broadband will be offering services to customers by spring 2019. 
The county's goal is to get 80 to 90 percent of people covered with broadband.