March-2024 Cooperative Living-CEC - 14

COOPERATIVE FOCUS
'Before Broadband
Was Cool'
(continued fr om page 11)
thing going, " Deriso says. " David had
such a passion to make it work. He is a
true champion for rural Virginia. David
would not take 'no' for an answer. He
deſt ly managed the project, despite there
being so many challenges and obstacles. "
A major challenge was fundraising.
" You know what they say, " Hudgins
says. " It's not about the money, but it's
about the money. If we solve the money
problem, we knew we could solve the
broadband problem. " And a lot of
money was needed to take it to the
next level - to the tune of $12 million
to fund the fi rst phase of the project
(building the fi ber backbone).
Th e U.S. Department of Commerce's
Economic Development Administration
was willing to off er a $6 million capital
grant - the second-largest grant in
EDA history east of the Mississippi,
according to Hudgins.
But there was a catch. MBC had
to fi nd a way to match it - which
Hudgins managed to do " in the nick
of time. "
One evening while dining at
Richmond's Th e Tobacco Company
Restaurant, Hudgins ran into Carthan
Currin, who had just been appointed
by Gov. James S. Gilmore as executive
director of the Virginia Tobacco
Indemnifi cation and Community
Revitalization Commission. Currin was
" The success story of MBC speaks
to the relevancy of cooperatives. "
- David Hudgins
Tad Deriso and David Hudgins, 2007
meeting with VTC Chairman Charles
Hawkins a few days later. Hudgins
saw an opportunity. He recalls, with
a laugh, " I said, Carthan, look, I got a
project I want to talk to you about. "
In 2004, MBC was awarded a $6
million capital grant from the EDA,
which was matched with a $6 million
capital grant from the VTC.
" We used the grant dollars to
build the infrastructure that's a critical
economic development asset for
southern Virginia, and it's something
that will be here for many decades to
come, " Deriso explains.
MBC was grateful for the leadership
and support of VTC Chairman Charles
" I am convinced that as important as
the Interstate Highway System was
in the '50s and '60s, the internet system
is just as important to us today. "
- Former Virginia Sen. Charles Hawkins
(quote from 2010)
12 * Cooperative Living * March 2024
Hawkins and Carthan Currin who,
according to Hudgins, " wrangled the
$6 million match through a 32-member
commission - a task that should not
be underestimated. " MBC is also grateful
to Neal Noyes, an EDA director who
helped secure the initial grant for
MBC, in addition to helping to direct
a previous $1.5 million grant to develop
broadband in southwest Virginia.
" Th ese men were critical to getting
the ball rolling, proving we had a real,
funded project and not a wish-and-apromise
project, " Hudgins adds.
Deriso agrees: " Sen. Hawkins,
Carthan Currin, Neal Noyes ... they had
the passion, saw the vision. We wouldn't
be where we are today without their
support. "
Additional capital grants of $24
million were awarded by the VTC in
2005 and 2006 to fi nish the fi rst phase
of the network, which was completed
in September of 2006.
BUILD IT - THEY WILL COME
By 2007, MBC had successfully
built more than 600 route miles of new
fi ber connecting 20 counties and four
co-opliving.com
PHOTO BY BOBBY ALLEN ROACH
PHOTO COURTESY MBC
http://www.co-opliving.com
March-2024 Cooperative Living-CEC

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