BOYDTON, Va. — Oct. 10, 2018 — Microsoft Corp. and Lake Country Satellite on Wednesday announced the launch of a free community Wi-Fi service in Boydton. Community members identified to Microsoft’s Datacenter Community Development that access to Wi-Fi is a significant need in the region.
“Internet access is very important to this community as it helps our residents fully participate in the 21st century economy,” said Mecklenburg County Administrator Wayne Carter. “That is why we advocated for this project, and why we appreciate this contribution by Microsoft and Lake Country Satellite.”
The community Wi-Fi system recently completed its testing phase and can be accessed through any wireless device through the network ID Boydton Wi-Fi. Users can log in to the network for two-hour increments.
“As a locally owned and operated company for two generations, this project has really been a labor of love for us,” said Lake Country Satellite’s David Varner. “The work we’ve done with Microsoft allowed us to build the infrastructure that will benefit everyone that lives in, conducts business in or visits Boydton.”
Microsoft has also supported Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative’s work securing a $2.6 million grant from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission to fund the launch of its new broadband subsidiary, Empower, which plans to deploy 135 miles of fiber broadband across Southside Virginia. All this work is part of Microsoft’s broader commitment, through its TechSpark Virginia program to foster greater economic opportunity and job creation in the region.
“Internet access is needed for accessing social and economic opportunities — whether it is connecting a small business to new markets, improving healthcare, creating new opportunities in education or supporting innovation in agriculture — yet too many people in rural communities lack access,” said Microsoft’s TechSpark Virginia manager, Jeremy Satterfield. “This new system will help close a gap that prevents too many of our residents from fully participating in the digital economy.”
Other projects in the Boydton area sponsored by Microsoft include workforce training through the Datacenter Academy at Southside Virginia Community College and the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center; grants to local nonprofits, including Vets on a Roll and Mecklenburg County Community Services Corp.; and Microsoft helping build computer science programs at local high schools, through its Technology Education and Literacy in Schools (TEALS) program.
About Lake Country Satellite
Local, family owned and operated, serving our communities families here in Mecklenburg for two generations of our family members.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
For more information, press only:
Microsoft Media Relations, WE Communications for Microsoft, (425) 638-7777,
Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://news.microsoft.com. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-public-relations-contacts.
