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Virginia Beach Gets Transoceanic Fiber Cable Station

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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - Virginia Beach will become the first mid-Atlantic city with a transoceanic fiber cable station that will bring high-speed Internet to the region.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that communication company Telefonica International Wholesale Services USA purchased a 3.5-acre parcel in Corporate Landing Business Park to build a data center in the city. The building will house a 7,000-mile cable that stretches from Brazil to Virginia Beach.

Director Warren Harris says the venture could be an opportunity for Virginia Beach to attract more of these centers.

The Virginia Beach Development Authority, which owns Corporate Landing Business Park, will reap $735,000 from the sale.

The cable and the station are expected to start operating by 2018.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.