The Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hear a presentation Monday that might reveal the future of high-speed Internet in the county.

Culpeper-based Virginia Broadband will be talking to the board about a plan that could provide high-speed Internet access to 75 percent of the county's population.

The company has proposed building several Rappahannock facilities, which would include small microwave dishes mounted on 80-foot wooden poles. Two areas of the county that would not be served are Amissville and Chester Gap, where Comcast Digital Wireless service is already available.

The board gave approval at its March meeting for County Administrator John McCarthy to explore the topic further and invite VABB representatives to speak at the supervisors' afternoon meeting this month.

VABB is looking into the possibility of having the county work with them to secure transmitter locations and funding for the project.

McCarthy said the company is soliciting the county to underwrite the amount of money borrowed for the project. VABB wants a guaranteed return on their investment, in case fewer customers than expected sign up for the service.

The county would only be on the hook if Rappahannock residents decide they are not interested in VABB's service. But McCarthy doesn't think that will happen. Many county residents have contacted him already to ask questions about VABB's proposal.

"There is a very broad pent-up demand for broadband Internet," McCarthy said, explaining that other wireless options in the county, such as satellite service, can be unreliable. "I think this is something a lot of people out there really want.

"And, let's face it, it's very important for economic development," he added. "Business owners don't always need a storefront on major highway anymore, but they do need FedEx and broadband access."

The county and public schools might anchor the project by purchasing broadband service from VABB, McCarthy said. One of the main recommendations produced by the county's Broadband Initiative committee in November was that the county government and schools' demand for broadband service should be leveraged to seek expanded service for underserved areas of Rappahannock.

McCarthy said no one should expect that this will result in an immediate expansion of broadband service in Rappahannock, although that is the goal. He said VABB is "a pretty stable, long-term organization that has done this in other areas."

According to the company's Web site, high-speed Internet is not available for 40 million rural Americans. That is why VABB is deploying what the company calls the largest wireless network in the commonwealth. When completed, it will stretch from the eastern Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, roughly following the Rappahannock River basin, and servicing customers in 25 contiguous counties.

McCarthy said Monday's discussion will be an initial "scoping" meeting. There is no public hearing involved, but citizens may speak during the normal public comment period held after the regular meeting commences at 2 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Rappahannock County Courthouse, located on Gay Street in the Town of Washington.

E-mail the reporter at kallen@timespapers.com.