By Taylor Boyd
A petition of more than 240 signatures and personal stories about the need for reliable internet and phone service in the county recently was presented to the Patrick County Board of Supervisors.
Sara Dalton, of Meadows of Dan, said she collected the signatures to detail how the lack of reliable service has adversely affected lives in the county.
“I did get some comments from people that said their internet services was reliable and asked if they could sign the petition anyway in solidarity with their neighbors, relatives, and friends who do not have service,” she said.
Dalton said some of the stories she was told were from elderly residents, mainly those in their 80s and 90s, with some living alone and needing reliable service for lifesaving purposes like telemedicine.
“It’s not just for elderly people, we found we need that in our household. The first time we tried it with our CenturyLink internet, it didn’t work. My husband had to end up talking to his doctor on the telephone,” she said.
Dalton also heard personal anecdotes from students who tried to do their schoolwork on cellphones, school personnel about how internet access effected the school year, parents who tried to teach their children without the internet, and people attempting to run small businesses and work from home.
Dalton said she recently talked to a recent Patrick County High School graduate who plans to do her first two years of coursework at Patrick Henry Community College online via the internet.
“She has access to a hotspot, “but when she has lots of work, she has to drive down the mountain to Mt. Airy (N.C.) to have access,” she said. “I just think it’s incredibly hard when people without adequate internet are trying to make a living, and it doesn’t really need to be that way because there are alternatives.”
She said her daughter, who lives in a remote area of Southeast Asia has better internet access there than at her house in Meadows of Dan.
“The last time she came to visit us, we had to rent a house for her in Floyd County because we didn’t have enough broadband for her to teach,” she said.
Dalton said she also disagrees with the notion that the lack of internet is a tradeoff people have for living in such a beautiful place.
“Where I live, in the winter when the leaves are off, I can see Primland right across the gorge. I think they have the fastest internet probably anywhere in Patrick County,” she said. “We’re not here asking for some luxury, we’re rather asking for reliable service that is integral to life, livelihood, and learning for all of our citizens.”
Steve Terry, of the Broadband Committee, said the house he and his wife live in had better phone service 30 years ago than it has today. He emphasized that the petition also included phone service, because both internet and telephone service are vitally critical.
“We have no cell service in many of our homes and cannot notify anyone if some of us get ill and need emergency attention. That’s how someone may die because of that one of these days,” he said.
Terry said when there is an issue that prompts a call the current provider, there is a lengthy wait before the call is answered.
“They’ll come out and fix it, and a lot of the problems are intermittent. They get out there and it might sound clear, and they go away and the next day, it rains and it’s popping and cracking, and the same thing,” he said.
To help fix this problem, Terry and some others came up with ideas which were submitted to the board, one of which involves calling the vice-president of the current service provider in to talk to residents and hear their complaints.
“Carroll County did this sometime back, under their previous county administrator. They had a bunch of complaints that night from citizens just like us,” he said, and added that meeting resulted in changes that helped expedite repairs.
“I think the county should call with the number of problems we’re having and talk to your people in your areas. It’s not just our area. We’re tired of it, and we need better service,” Terry said.
He also noted that the State Corporation Commission (SCC) is legally responsible to ensure that Virginia citizens have reliable phone service.
“They will react, I think, to a letter from this body. I think this body should send a copy of our petitions and our complaints and with some requests for them to intercede,” he said.
Terry was previously told by Gov. Ralph Northam’s Chief Broadband Advisor, that he thinks ample money is planned to potentially get fiber lines to homes in Virginia.
He said the county needs to have a plan for when those funds become available to ensure every part of the county can be served.
“We’re not here to criticize or cast blame. We’re here to try to help the county with things that we are sorely in need of,” Terry said.
In other matters, supervisors:
*Voted to draft a resolution instructing the county attorney to notify the judge requesting a special election in November for the Commission of Revenue’s position.
*Heard an update from Rebecca Adcock, executive director of the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce.
*Amended the fiscal year budget for fiscal year 2021-2022.
*Approved a motion to pay bills, claims, and appropriations in a 3-2 vote.
*Heard a report from Geri Hazelwood, county administrator.
*Voted to hire James Houchins as the full-time receptionist at the Patrick Henry Community College Recreation Department.
