The Warren County Board of Supervisors meeting on February 18, 2025, felt like a pivotal moment for our rural infrastructure. As a resident of the North River District, I found myself standing alongside other concerned citizens to address two very different but equally significant topics: broadband equity and the definition of adult businesses.
Broadband: Parallel to the 1936 Electrification Act
The discussion regarding All Points Broadband (APB) and the BEAD Program struck a chord with me. Looking at the map, there is a massive, glaring hole in service for the southern end of our county. It reminds me of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, which finally brought power to American farmers who had been left in the dark by private utilities.
Today, high-speed internet is the “electricity” of the 21st century. However, the data I’ve analyzed suggests we are falling short:
- Substandard Speeds: The lowest proposed tier ($60 for 50 Mbps) doesn’t even qualify as “broadband” under the FCC’s updated March 2024 standards.
- Pricing Inequity: In neighboring Fauquier County, residents are seeing rates of $60 for 1 gigabit. Meanwhile, our VATI proposal offers significantly slower speeds for satellite-level prices.
- The Zoom Irony: I couldn’t help but notice that the vendors were presenting via Zoom to tout a service that many of our residents still can’t use to join a simple video call after their upgrade to “broadband”.
I suggested reaching out to regional commissions and looking at how nearby Culpeper and Rappahannock are handling their “exit plans” and discount addenda. Warren County shouldn’t settle for less.
I also submitted a letter to the editor to the Royal Examiner, along with charts comparing satellite and various broadband provider speeds in our area, titled “Concerns Raised Over Warren County Broadband Pricing.”
Concerns on Adult Business Definitions
The meeting also included a public hearing on amending the county code to add a definition for “adult business.” While the discussion focused on zoning and commerce, I shared the concerns of others regarding First Amendment rights.
Given the recent controversies surrounding the Samuels Public Library, there is a valid fear that vague definitions can be used as tools for social control or religious imposition. We must ensure that our codes are clear and do not infringe on individual rights or free commerce.
Final Thought
Whether it’s the price per megabit or the wording of a local ordinance, the details matter. Local government is where these “small” decisions have the biggest impact on our daily lives. I’ll continue to sip from the “firehose” of data to make sure our leaders are held to a standard of fairness and transparency.
Watch the Testimony
You can view the full discussion and my comments at the following timestamps:
- 0:59 – John Jenkins on Adult Business & First Amendment Rights
- 1:47 – Concerns over “sparse” coverage in South River
- 2:26 – My testimony on Rural Electrification, FCC standards, and pricing comparisons
Transcript (auto-generated)
APB Letter of Support
Supervisor Cheryl Cullers: the pink area on your map.
Richard Scholleman, All Points Bulletin (APB): Yes
Cullers: that’s the southern end.
That area, I know I’ve I’ve drilled you guys on this ever since we got in this project, that that area has no service at all. Is that going to be covered and either I’m assuming it was always in the VATI? Was that still VATI or is that going to be switched to BEAD or you know the map that Brightspeed put up shows that is they’re not putting any service there at all when they’re looking for BEAD money
Scholleman: saying yes we’re going to be if those location if that CCTA had any locations that got moved we are we’ve committed we are going to absolutely apply to those areas attached you will find a draft ordinance
Public Hearing for Adult Business
Chase Lenz, Planning Staff: To amend chapter 180 of Warren County code to amend subsection 180-8C to add a definition for adult business.
Adult Business: John Jenkins
John Jenkins: My concern is that the code infringes infringes on the first amendment rights allowing government to interfere in free commerce, individual rights, and attempt to establish social control over businesses. The decision recently made by the board [clears throat] concerning the library has been of great controversy to many of the Warren County citizens, many of whom insist that the decisions were made on religious beliefs and moral values of the committee.
My only concern is I think that it imposes the first amendment rights of an individual. That’s what that’s my stance on the whole thing. Thank you.
APB Letter of Support: John Jenkins
My other issue is I guess with the broadband, I’m not [clears throat] real familiar with that, but I did hear something at one point that the county from the American Rescue Plan had give them like $6.9 million if that’s correct. I’m not sure. But when the map come up in South River District, the area out there because it’s sparsely populated, they don’t want to go out there. They want to get to an area where all their work is comi com combined one central location so they can make the 90% of their money real quick. That means that the last 10% of the people will be waiting years to get service in their location.
Lewis Moten
Lewis Moten: Hello. I am Lewis Moten from the North River District.
I’d just like to make a comment first about the confusion over the comment period and how it relates to the public hearings as well because I would have liked to have spoken about the adult definition of businesses and what has happened in the past with Donley Public Library and if that could happen here.
Um my main topic I want to talk comment about is the broadband issue. I I did publish or I sent a letter to the editor at the Royal Examiner and he published a lot of details. Um but the the main thing and I’m very concerned when I saw the South was not actually being um served like there it’s it’s not just a little bit it’s a big glaring hole and I agree with the last commenter about that should be priority. this reminds me of the Rural Electrification Act in 1936 that brought electricity to farmers. Many farmers didn’t have electricity at that time and I see the same parallels. I’m very involved with their history and the country as a whole with with that. Um, so, uh, I mainly posted about the satellite prices normally is what we’re being what the proposal was suggesting at, uh, I think it was like $60 per for 50 megabits per second. Uh, that is not even qualified as broadband according to the, uh, FCC as of March of this past year. So, they’re not even offering broadband at that at that lowest tier. And what they are offering is satellite prices. Um, so the big thing is, uh, Rapahhanic is discussing an exit plan, the board of supervisors, and they’re reaching out to Coal Pepper about their issues with the abjunct failure as they, as one of the supervisors said. Uh, Co Pepper has an addendum for discount rates for residents. Um, you might want to check into that as Rapahanic is reaching out to them as well. Uh, there’s also timeline agreements in that addendum. Fauler, Faulquer, I’m not sure how to pronounce it, but they are behind schedule and they are actually getting $60 for one gigabit per second per month. We’re talking at a rate of $120 per megabyte megabit per second for the lower tier rates that VAT is offering with all points bulletin versus 12 cents at gigabit speeds. So that’s 10 times the distance. Uh, I don’t know if Northern Shannidoa Valley Regional Commission is involved with the fiscal stuff, but I’d look into that. Um, I Yeah, I I think what the we should ask the residents in South what they think about these scores. Um, I noticed both of the gentlemen were over Zoom today and they they tout that this will make Zoom possible, not for those residents. Thank you.
