VATI grant awarded for RISE broadband project, will expand internet in Madison County [Video]

More Madison residents will have access to broadband due to the award of an additional state grant.

On Wednesday, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced more than $41 million in grants through the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) for 10 broadband construction projects serving 20 localities throughout the state. Among the awardees is $12.2 million for the Firefly project, which marks the second successful VATI grant application for the project.

In 2022, the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) signed a contract with the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), launching the $288 million fiber internet construction project known as RISE. The project, being constructed by Firefly Fiber Broadband with partners Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) and Dominion Energy, aims to provide access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet to more than 36,000 businesses and residences. The project is being funded via a $79 million VATI grant administered by TJPDC along with $209 …