ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, May 19, 1996 TAG: 9605210009
SECTION: DISCOVER PAGE: 34 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: HALE SHEIKERZ STAFF WRITER
THE BLACKSBURG ELECTRONIC VILLAGE has become one of the most successful Internet-based communities in the world.
While the New River Valley is best known for its mountains, lakes, rivers and other outdoor adventures, it recently has become known for its use of technology.
The information highway now leads to the New River Valley. In fact, the area has been dubbed an electronic valley.
National Public Radio, Esquire and Sunday newspaper magazines across the country have tried to find out why such a small, remote area has become popular for its information technology. While most of the attention has been focused on the Blacksburg Electronic Village, the entire valley has benefited.
The Blacksburg Electronic Village (http://www.bev.net/) was created as a cooperative project of the Town of Blacksburg, the telephone company (now Bell Atlantic) and Virginia Tech. One of its initial missions - which it continues to follow - is to foster demand for Internet access in the valley. When the electronic village started serving the public in October 1993, the Virginia Tech modem pool was the only provider of Internet access.
Since then, the program has become one of the most successful Internet-based communities in the world.
About 17,000 people have accounts through Tech's modem service, said Cortney Martin, information manager at the electronic village. Until recently, the project was the sole provider of Internet access in the valley. In the past several months, however, private companies have entered the business and are offering local access through their own computers. Bell Atlantic also announced in April that it too would provide access in the New River Valley.
That is all good news for Virginia Tech modem pool users. In March, the university stopped processing new applications for access from customers not affiliated with it. And starting in July, current subscribers of the Virginia Tech modem pool who are not affiliated with the university will have to get access from one of the private Internet service companies.
The Town of Blacksburg and City of Radford have home pages on the World Wide Web. Radford, through the Radford Information Network, started working on expanding the concept of the Blacksburg Electronic Village throughout the area in the spring. It recently developed the Radford City World Wide Web site (http://www.radford.va.us/) which went on-line in April.
Local Web sites include information ranging from school menus and community events to health care information and businesses on-line. While the electronic village will no longer sign people up for Internet access (users will have to go to Tech Connect on campus), it will maintain Web pages, list servers and community groups on the Internet for area residents.
In addition to the local Internet providers, local numbers are available for access through America Online, CompuServe and Prodigy.
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