Kristie Helmick Proctor, Virginia Rural Center Executive Director, Named to Broadband Advisory Counc
RICHMOND, Va. – Kristie Helmick Proctor, Executive Director of the Virginia Rural Center, has been confirmed by Governor Ralph Northam as the newest member of the Broadband Advisory Council.
“A lack of broadband access is the number one challenge rural Virginia faces,” Proctor said. “We can't have positive economic development – or fulfill our mission to grow rural Virginia – without it. It is a pleasure to be able to serve rural Virginia and help bring the voices of businesses and residents to this important conversation.”
The Broadband Advisory Council was established in Virginia’s executive branch to advise the Governor on policy and funding priorities to expedite deployment and reduce the cost of broadband access in the Commonwealth. It is comprised of 14 members: six legislators, four ex-officio members and four citizen members. The Secretaries of Agriculture and Forestry, Commerce and Trade and Technology, along with the Executive Director of the Virginia Rural Center, serve as ex-officio members.
A lack of access to broadband, Proctor said, impacts everything from schools and workforce development, to business and health care, to real estate.
“We hear stories from residents and businesses every day on how broadband and the lack of access to it impacts their lives,” Proctor said, offering one specific example of a rural Virginia resident who has been unable to sell her home, despite more interest in it than comparable homes on the market, because it lacks access to broadband.
“Businesses and residents in rural Virginia cannot compete without the broadband access,” Proctor said. “Coming together collaboratively to identify innovative solutions through groups like the Broadband Advisory Council is how we will get there.”
About the Center for Rural Virginia: The Virginia Rural Center is a collaborative partnership of the Center for Rural Virginia and the Council for Rural Virginia. Together, these two organizations work with federal, state and local policymakers as well as business leaders to grow economic opportunities and preserve the quality of life throughout rural Virginia. To learn more visit www.cfrv.org.
About the Broadband Advisory Council: The Broadband Advisory Council was established to help determine the Commonwealth's goals for broadband and how best to achieve them. To learn more visit www.cit.org/service-lines/broadband-advisory-council/.
