Broadband for America Announces Virginia Advisory Board

Group to Focus on Jobs and Small Business in the Commonwealth

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Broadband for America (BfA), a coalition of more than 150 member companies and organizations which share the goal of bringing broadband Internet to every home and business in the nation, announces the formation of its Virginia Advisory Board.

Broadband for America’s Virginia Advisory Board will focus on developing programs that deliver the message that broadband Internet creates jobs and provides opportunities, which foster the growth of small business and enhance the lives of every citizen in the Commonwealth. 

Beatriz Amberman, Vice Chair of the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations, said, “My home area of Virginia Beach is a microcosm of the entire Commonwealth. It is a vacation destination, but because of its proximity to Hampton Roads and the major military complexes it is also heavily invested in, and committed to, the high-tech defense industry. We believe strongly that broadband will be the backbone of new jobs and new businesses in our region of Virginia.  We are joining with Broadband for America to ensure that every household and business in Virginia and around the nation have access to broadband Internet.”

Gaylene Kanoyton, President of the Urban League Guild of Hampton Roads said, “We know from multiple studies that African-Americans are lagging behind other communities in the adoption of broadband access to the Internet – especially in their homes. Virginia has an extremely diverse economy – from the Pentagon in the north to farms in the south and west – and the Urban League Guild of Hampton Roads is focused on joining with Broadband for America to help every American understand the value and uses of broadband in developing new job skills, in enhancing health care, and in improving education for our children.”

The broadband and information technology sectors created nearly half of all new jobs in 2008 and contribute nearly $1 trillion to the nation’s economy annually. The major network providers have invested $100 billion in the past two years in their networks, so at a time when most industrial centers have been reducing their workforces, the broadband industry has been growing. Broadband represents growth and development both in the Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as the nation as a whole.

In addition to announcing the Virginia Advisory Board, Broadband for America is launching a new page on its website, which details the benefits of broadband Internet in the Commonwealth profiling Virginia members of the coalition.

To view Broadband for America’s Virginia-specific webpage, click here.

The members of the Broadband for America (BfA) Virginia Advisory Board are:

Beatriz Amberman: Vice Chair of the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations

Aftab Ahmad: Associate Professor – Computer Science, NorfolkStateUniversity

Steve Belote: President of Shore Bank

Donna Bozza: Director of the Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Commission

Jane Cabarrus: NorthamptonCountyNAACP Chair

Ben Davenport: Chairman of First Piedmont Corporation and President of the Community Foundation

of the Dan River Region

Dana Dickens: President, Hampton Roads Partnership

Tim Early: President and CEO, Hampton Roads Technology Council

Dr. Linda Thomas-Glover: President, Eastern ShoreCommunity College

Rex Hammond: President of the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce

Charles Hawkins: FormerState Senator

Gaylene Kanoyton: President, Urban League Guild of Hampton Roads

Lynwood Lewis: Delegate, Virginia General Assembly

Dave McClure: US Internet Industry Association

Dominic Melito: President, Virginia Beach Education Association

Delceno Miles: President, Virginia Beach Minority Council and Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce board member

Susan Milhoan: President & CEO, Retail Alliance

Laurie Naismith: Government Relations and Public Affairs Director for the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority

Ralph Northam: State Senator, Virginia General Assembly

Will Pearson: President of the VirginiaCollege Fund

Nancy Poole: President of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce

Neil Rose: Hampton Roads Chamber board and former School Board member

Marvin L. Simpson, Jr.: CEO, OPTECH Inc.; Member of Hampton Roads Technology Council

Denard Spady: Executive Director of Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore

The member organizations of the Broadband for America (BfA) Virginia Advisory Board are:

Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore

Eastern ShoreCommunity College

Hampton Roads Technology Council

Hispanic Community Dialogue of VA

Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce

Urban League Guild of Hampton Roads

Broadband for America (BfA) is a growing coalition of over 150 members ranging from independent consumer advocacy groups, to content and application providers, to the companies which build and maintain the Internet. The complete BfA membership list is available at: http://www.broadbandforamerica.com/about/members

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