After two weeks on the job, Virginia’s new Governor, Ralph Northam, made his first official visit to the area on Friday to celebrate the lighting of a fiber network expansion stretching six miles in the northern portion of Gloucester County. The celebration was held at the former Bay Design office at the intersection of Glenns Road and Route 17.

The project, which was made possible through a Virginia Telecommunication Initiative Grant and Cox Communications, will connect more than 120 residents and businesses to reliable, high-speed internet in a traditionally underserved portion of the community.

Northam said one of the first things that needs to be done in helping to rebuild Virginia’s economy is to recognize what jobs in the 21st century need to thrive. “One of our challenges … is the lack of universal broadband access in the Commonwealth of Virginia, especially rural Virginia,” Northam said.

He said for those trying to grow a business and for local...