VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - — Could Hampton Roads and the Richmond area become the next Global Internet Hub?
On Tuesday afternoon, Virginia Beach city council members heard about a strategic plan that could transform the area.
"The real opportunity we have is to get to a world stage," said John Martin, the President & CEO of RVA757 Connects, an advocacy group promoting the regions working together to form a mega-region.
RVA757 created a committee to develop a strategic plan on how the areas could become the Global Internet Hub, a distinction where the region would be recognized for innovation in the tech industry.
"Tech workers come to places that are internet hubs to get the fastest access to the internet, the lowest latency, and have the most advanced digital platforms work," said Martin. "Companies move to places that have this advanced digital infrastructure."
Virginia Beach has three subsea cables that come ashore for the fast transmission of data overseas and the Richmond area has two big data centers.
"When you start to add up what Richmond has and what Hampton Roads has, you start to see this formula to go, 'Oh My Gosh.' Together we have all the components of a Global Internet Hub."
Martin told the city council the areas need to move fast as other areas, like Nashville, are attracting more tech workers to their cities.
"We can't be left behind. We've got to make sure that we're building out a robust digital infrastructure," said Martin.
The plan has ten strategies to make it happen, including getting local governments on board and building up digital infrastructure, like more subsea cables.
Martin says the mega-region would be a community of the future.
"What that means is we're going to stay ahead of the times. Number two: we're going to attract the kind of workers we need and we're going to attract the businesses that want those workers and that want the fastest internet speed," he said.
