MGW Wins Shenandoah Valley Technology Council Award

May 28, 2022

According to the Highland County Chamber of Commerce, MGW has been recognized by The Shenandoah Valley Technology Council.  The Technology Council recently held it’s annual Tech Night, where it honors local technology achievement and innovation.  MGW won the annual award for Innovation in Community Impact for the MGW & Lingo Networks “Drive-in” Public Wi-Fi Access program.

The Highland County Chamber of Commerce collaborated with MGW and the Stonewall Ruritan Club to provide free Wi-Fi for the public and vendors at the Stonewall Ruritan Building in McDowell, in anticipation of the 2020 Highland County Maple Festival.  When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the infrastructure was already in place for a Wi-Fi “Drive-in” hotspot in the community that has continued to this day.  Fourteen dedicated public Wi-Fi access points were set up and are available throughout MGW’s coverage area.

Once a year, the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council (SVTC), the Valley’s regional organization for technology users and creators, recognizes and highlights the achievements of Shenandoah Valley technology firms, organizations, programs, and projects — and the entrepreneurs, leaders, innovators, and educators behind those successes.

The JMU College of Integrated Science and Engineering’s Innovation Community Impact Award is given to an individual, team, nonprofit/civic organization, or company in the Shenandoah Valley that aspires to use its capabilities to help solve a social or environmental issue in a local community, while using technology to amplify the impact of a service, mission, or project.

To learn more about MGW’s Public Wi-Fi locations, visit https://www.mgwnet.com/driveinwifi and https://lingonetworks.net/driveinwifi.

 

Story By

Bonnie Ralston

Bonnie Ralston is the Assistant Station Coordinator at WVLS and a Highland County news reporter. She began volunteering at Allegheny Mountain Radio in the fall of 2005. In 2006 she became an AMR employee and worked in Bath County for eight years as the WCHG Station Coordinator and then as the news reporter there. She began working in radio while in college and has stayed connected to radio, in one way or another, for more than thirty years. She grew up in Staunton, Virginia, while spending a lot of time on her family’s farm in Deerfield, Virginia. She enjoys spending time outside, watching old TV shows and movies and tending to her chickens.
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