RUS Telecommunications Success Stories in Virginia - 2 Entries
RUS ASSISTS RETIRED VIRGINIA FAMILY
State: Virginia
Borrower Name and ID:Shenandoah Telephone Company (VA 517)
Counties: Shenandoah

In 1949, the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) then known as the Rural Electrification Administration, was mandated to provide telephone service to rural America. In 1995, over 46 years later, there remains a tremendous need for RUS to continue to provide rural citizens with access to not only basic telephone service, but advanced telecommunications services as well. The Morris Family, once suburbanites and now rural residents, discovered how important the presence of RUS continues to be to rural America.

The Morris Family, living in the Washington metropolitan area, were preparing to move to their dream retirement home in an isolated location 1.5 miles east of Edinburg in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenadoah Valley of Virginia . When the Morris’ contacted the Shenandoah Telephone Company to inquire about receiving access to telecommunication services, they were informed that the cost of constructing the facilities line to serve them would cost them the family over $2500. Upset with the quote, they contacted the Virginia State Corporation Commission (VSCC). regarding the high cost of the connection. The VSCC turned to RUS for assistance in the matter. RUS determined that the Shenandoah Telephone Company was bound under the terms of the RUS Telephone Loan Contract to furnish service to the Morris Family without any extra charge. A RUS representative and VSCC met with the President of the Shenandoah Telephone Company to discuss their findings regarding the proposed charge and the telephone company’s obligations under the terms of the RUS Telephone Loan Contract. When the discussions ended, the Morris family received their telephone service with no subsequent charge and discovered the important role RUS plays in providing and maintaining affordable access to telecommunications services for rural citizens.

RUS FUNDS CREATE DISTANCE LEARNING SYSTEM IN VIRGINIA
State: Virginia
Borrower: Shenandoah Telephone Company (VA 517)
Grantee: Shenandoah County Public Schools
County: Shenandoah
Subject: Internet Access

Shenandoah County Public Schools is a small, rural school system located in northwestern Virginia, 150 miles outside of Washington, D.C. The school system was facing problems which threatened their capacity to deliver quality educational programs. Shenandoah County is surrounded by two mountain ranges which form natural barriers between many residents. Because of the mountainous terrain it is necessary to operate three small high schools, each with an enrollment of less than 600 students and a small number of faculty. The result is a limited number of course offerings, especially in the areas of science, math, and the arts.

In 1993, a $73,680 Rural Utilities Services (RUS) Distance Learning and Medical Link Program grant was awarded to Shenandoah County. The distance learning system consists of three remotely located high school classrooms linked via an analog fiber optic transmission network. This network enables any one classroom to simultaneously view the other two classrooms. The increased curriculum includes four advanced courses; calculus, economics, and foreign language. Teacher training classes will also be offered. Fifteen-hundred students are enrolled in the three participating educational institutions. Two hundred and ten students from these high schools elected to attend institutions of higher learning in 1994-95. Over eighty-five students participate in distance learning activities, such as accessing the Internet. In addition to the students and faculty, the interactive video classrooms is available to the 28,000 residents of the Shenandoah Valley, for adult education classes, as well as interest groups and clubs.