Title
Digital Infrastructure Expansion Initiative
Purpose
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND:
The City of Hampton is exploring extending high-speed broadband infrastructure to connect the City of Hampton’s underserved neighborhoods and commercial corridors to the transatlantic broadband cable anchored in Virginia Beach, via the Regional Connectivity Ring (RCR).
Discussion:
The City of Hampton is exploring extending high-speed broadband infrastructure to connect the City of Hampton’s underserved neighborhoods and commercial corridors to the transatlantic broadband cable anchored in Virginia Beach, via the Regional Connectivity Ring (RCR). The RCR is a collaboration of the cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach and part of a broader regional initiative to connect the 17 Hampton Roads communities to the transatlantic cables running to Europe, Africa and South America.
This strategic infrastructure investment is being pursued jointly with the City of Newport News to bridge a critical digital divide by connecting to the RCR, directly supporting workforce development, economic revitalization, education, and access to essential services. Broadband service in several Hampton neighborhoods remains inadequate for supporting remote work, virtual learning, telehealth, or small business innovation, and hinders efforts to attract technology-dependent industries and expand digital access. Additional broadband capacity also supports the missions of NASA Langley, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Hampton City Schools, Hampton University, and Virginia Peninsula Community College.
This project promotes economic development, regional cooperation, and digital resilience in one of the nation’s most flood-vulnerable and economically diverse metro areas.
Impact:
By linking to the Southside’s high-capacity fiber backbone, this project will:
• Increase service reliability, connectivity and internet speeds for residents and businesses,
• Enable last-mile broadband deployment in underserved census tracts,
• Support Hampton’s economic recovery and resilience goals,
• Provide foundational infrastructure for smart city applications and regional emergency communications.
This project, combined with a similar project in Newport News, will serve a population of approximately 320,200.
Recommendation:
Rec
No action required.