Mathews Broadband Advisory Board Chair Judy Rowe expressed excitement over the possibilities for broadband in the county after a presentation by Verizon executives at last week’s monthly meeting.

“Universal coverage is where we’re headed,” she said. “I feel like I’ve won the lottery.”

Tom Walls, director of state and local government affairs for Verizon in Virginia, and Chris Debosier, a member of the company’s network regulatory strategy team, explained that Verizon would like to apply for a grant under one of two programs—either the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) or the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (BEAD)—to fund a project that would finally bring broadband to all of Mathews County.

Debosier said that new Federal Communications Commission maps contain very accurate information delineating the areas in Mathews that are either unserved or underserved by broadband. There are 2,088 unserved or underserved premises in the county, he sai...