After years of planning and negotiations, the Mathews Broadband Advisory Board is set to partially fulfill chair Judy Rowe’s promise of universal broadband for Mathews County.
On July 9, Verizon Wireless installed cellular equipment on the county’s tower at the Mathews Volunteer Rescue Squad building at Hudgins. Once it goes live in a couple of months, the equipment will provide 5G service in a three- to four-mile radius, which includes Gwynn’s Island. Consultant Jeff Beekhoo of Broadband Telecom said that 5G service is fast enough to allow for broadband to all customers in the coverage area.
The tower the county constructed in Bohannon at Station 2 won’t be far behind, said Beekhoo. Work is currently underway, and that tower is expected to go live by the end of the year, offering the same speeds and services.
An added bonus is that, because the county owns both towers, Verizon will be putting $2,400 per month for each tower into the county coffers, for annual county revenue of $57,600...