Virginia’s governor today announced the creation of a state office dedicated to promoting both telecommuting and broadband Internet access.
The Office of Telework Promotion and Broadband Assistance, which will operate under the Office of the Secretary of Technology, will advocate the implementation of both throughout the commonwealth.
Telework, which eliminates the daily commute for employees, and has often been pitched as a way to at least put a dent in Northern Virginia’s growing traffic woes. It also allows for improved workforce retention and recruitment, as well as continuity of operations for a company in the event workers can’t make it to a job site during a disaster, said Josh Levi, vice president for policy of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, which supported the creation of the office.
“We’ve never had a single office dedicated to thinking about the strategies here,” he said.
Enhanced broadband Internet access will allow workers in all parts of the state to participate in activities like telework, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
Levi said officials began focusing on the creation of the new agency in 2000.
