Project Outcomes
- Read the Final Public Report on the TOP Grant Funded Project.
- The following community networks are now open to the public:
- Craig County - http://www.craig.bev.net
- Cumberland County - http://www.cumberlandfirst.net
- Dickenson County - http://www.dcev.net
- King & Queen County - http://www.kqinfotrail.net
- Louisa County - http://www.louisaelectronicvillage.net
- Accomack & Northampton Counties have chosen to use the already existing Eastern Shore Virginia Portal web site as their community network. You can visit the Portal at http://www.easternshorevirginiaportal.com.
Project Summary
This project, funded by a Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) grant provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, leveraged the use of information technology to improve local economic conditions in several under served Virginia communities. The project provided tools and training to county residents and improved their ability to participate in the decision making process within their communities. It was undertaken as a partnership between between community citizens teams, Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) and the Blacksburg Electronic Village (BEV).
Participating counties received assistance from project staff in the following areas:
- Recruitment and training of citizen technology leadership teams
(TLT)
- Take Charge program (or
equivalent consensus building process) to provide issues identification
and clarification for county residents
- Development and deployment of community network services that include:
- Web site for highlighting issues faced by the county
- Individual, Business, and Community Organization directories
- On-line community calendar
- On-line discussion forum
- Free Web hosting packages for community organizations
- Free Virtual Business Incubator program for home based and micro
businesses
- Planning and facilitation of community workshops
- Technology assessment
- Development of a technology master plan for the county
Getting Rural Virginia Connected: A Historical Snapshot
Grant funding for this project has now ended. For more information about the project, please refer to relevant sections of this web site.
This site is being maintained as a historical snapshot on the TOP Grant Funded Project. Visit new site on the project
