Virginia puts schools on high-fiber diet with broadband funds

A very strong augur of how the government's $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus money will be spent came this week with the Department of Commerce's announcement that $21.5 million of those funds have been awarded to two Virginia-based outfits intent on bolstering that state's school systems with high-speed fiber.

"This is a huge boost for Southside Virginia," declared Rep. Tom Perriello at the press conference for the announcement, "benefiting our kids' educational success in the short term and building our region's javascript:void(0)long-term competitive advantage for the 21st century..."