Catching up on my reading, and as a Virginia resident (okay, Northern Virginia) this story on CWA’s blog, SpeedMatters, caught my eye.

Turns out the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative and the Commonwealth of Virginia are investing $19 million to build a fiber-optic backbone to give rural businesses a chance to grow and compete online. Virginia is following up with a study to see what happens in terms of business and jobs after they expand broadband access.

I’m guessing they’ll find that more broadband access leads to a significant increase in the productivity, competitiveness and profitability of the state’s rural small businesses.

Existing businesses can add an electronic presence. Entrepreneurs can test their business plans on the Web. Online storefronts can proliferate. Of course, I’m not really going out on a limb, here — we’re seeing this happen already in broadband pockets throughout the country.

The broadband expansion also targets Virginia’s shoreline. I can see a resulting rise in tourism as Internet searches uncover local arts and culture, luring people to Virginia from behind their home computers.

Between Virginia’s tourism getting a shot in the arm and all those small rural businesses launching or branching out, there will be more jobs, leading to more job creation and expanding the state economy: and – all tracing back to a single catalyst: broadband access.

Certainly something to keep an eye on.

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