Excerpted from the CHATHAM STAR-TRIBUNE
Virginia’s 5th Congressional District is a large, diverse region that represents bustling, affluent communities to the north, which sharply contrast with areas to the south that have suffered considerable losses and high unemployment with the decline in tobacco farming and the closing of furniture and textile industries.
An estimated 283,860 people in Virginia’s 5th District are without broadband Internet service. Many of us take this technology for granted. However, those without broadband do not have valuable access to basic information, telemedicine, emergency services, and online job searches. Education is designed to prepare our children for the future, but students who do not have Internet access at home will surely struggle to succeed in school and beyond.
Jane Dittmar, realizing the current congressman was not addressing such problems, decided to run for this office so she could apply her energy, experience, and knowledge to serving, not just some of the economic, political, and social groups in the 5th District, but everyone of every age who lives here.
Jane Dittmar has a vision for the 5th District to connect all of its people to each other and to federal resources, modern infrastructure, and access to affordable broadband service that will greatly improve the ability to get a proper education and search for employment.