Water Damage Restoration in Chesapeake, VA

What is the best internet provider in Chesapeake?

Verizon Fios offers some of the fastest broadband in the city and stands out for its symmetrical speeds. The widespread availability also helps. For these reasons, Verizon Fios is the best internet service provider in Chesapeake, according to CNET. Cox, T-Mobile and Verizon's 5G home internet service are other alternatives that you can consider.

We’ve also found the cheapest plans and fastest speeds for providers in Chesapeake. If you’re an eligible mobile customer through T-Mobile or Verizon, you can get home internet for only $30-$50 monthly.

Cox offers the fastest plan in Chesapeake. Customers can get speeds up to 2 gigabits per second for $120 per month, but many other providers offer speeds up to 1,000Mbps if your home isn’t serviceable by Cox.

Best internet in Chesapeake

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Chesapeake

The best internet deals and top promotions in Chesapeake depend on what discounts are available during that period. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.

Take our quiz

How Fast Should Your Home Internet Be?

Answer 3 easy questions to discover our recommended speed for your household.

Chesapeake internet providers, such as Cox, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Many, including Verizon and T-Mobile, run the same standard pricing year-round.

For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s a good internet speed?

Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you're looking for an internet plan that can accommodate video conferencing, streaming video or gaming, you'll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here's an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Note that these are only guidelines and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Chesapeake

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike with the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

It doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

The answers to those questions are often layered and complex, but the providers who come closest to yes on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, but we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and the FCC. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

The referendum is only advisory in nature, so the final decision will still be up to the Chesapeake City Council.

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CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Two years after the City of Chesapeake ended its curbside recycling program, voters were given the option to let city leaders know if they want to bring it back.

However, results of Tuesday night's election showed the referendum to re-establish curbside recycling failed, 62% to 37%. Provisional ballots are outstanding, and election results still need to be certified before becoming official.

In 2022, the City of Chesapeake ended its curbside recycling program, leading to the implementation of eight free drop-off sites across the city. The city has seen this switch as generally positive, citing the reduced cost incurred by the city government of roughly $2.2 million, and that it's led to a smaller contamination rate for the materials that are actually recycled.

In the first year after Chesapeake stopped its curbside service, it collected more than 3,000 tons of recycling debris from the drop sites.

The referendum on Tuesday's ballot was advisory in nature, so Chesapeake City Council may or may not take action based on the results.

The referendum asked voters:

Should City Council adopt an ordinance imposing a mandatory fee of up to $10 per month on all households that receive City trash service in order to re-establish curbside recycling for those households only?

The question, however, is an advisory referendum. The Chesapeake City Council will still ultimately have the final say on whether it moves forward.

New reelected Chesapeake Mayor Rick West expressed surprise about the results.

"I thought it would be more pretty much an even thing just based on the people I have talked to about the issue," West said. "But I think it's, you know, the people have spoken, we're here to serve them."

In a statement to 13News Now, “Chesapeake Recycles”, an organization in support of bringing back the program, is hopeful the newly elected Chesapeake City Council could find a way for the curbside recycling program quote “reinstated in the next budget cycle and without a fee to citizens.”

We reached out to every member of the Chesapeake City Council to see what the next plans would be now that voters rejected this non-binding referendum on curbside recycling. As of now, none of them have responded.

Chesapeake voters have finally had their say on whether to reinstate city-funded curbside recycling. And a majority said no.

The city had Hampton Roads’ only local referendum on the ballot this year. It asked residents whether they would support bringing back curbside service — by adding a new monthly fee of up to $10.

About 62% of voters rejected such a fee, according to preliminary state election results late Tuesday.

But the referendum is non-binding. It’s essentially a survey of citizens’ opinions and does not prompt or prohibit any action by city leaders.

In fact, City Council members have already said they think the question could become moot because of impending changes to waste disposal regionwide.

Chesapeake is currently the only one of Hampton Roads’ seven major cities that does not charge for trash or recycling collection.

Previous coverage

The city voted to nix the curbside recycling program in 2021, opting to redirect the $2 million in funding at the time for a public safety pay plan. A passionate group of citizens has been pushing to reverse the decision ever since.

A few years ago, city staff asked the council to consider a waste fee to fund curbside recycling, but members voted against it. If they now pursue reinstating the service, the city doesn’t yet know what the exact price tag would be.

Chesapeake’s wrangling fits into larger discussions around the region as curbside recycling gets more expensive for local governments. Virginia Beach doubled its monthly recycling fee this year after a survey showed residents were willing to pay it.

But on a broader scale, Hampton Roads’ trash is about to get an overhaul.

The Southeastern Public Service Authority, which handles trash for the Southside, is currently deciding on a vendor for its next waste disposal contract.

With space running out at the Regional Landfill in Suffolk, the goal is to find a better long-term solution.

That could include a single-bin approach, meaning residents would no longer separate trash from recycling.

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CHESAPEAKE, Va. - 23 years after starting as a deputy at the Chesapeake Sheriff's Office, Dave Rosado was named the city's fourth sheriff on Friday.

Rosado is succeeding Jim O'Sullivan, who spent 12 years leading the office that staffs the city's jail and courthouse. Eyeing retirement, O'Sullivan promoted Rosado to Undersheriff in 2022, with the intention of eventually elevating him to the top job.

Rosado, 59, says he took on numerous "Sheriff" responsibilities in anticipation of the promotion. Friday, O'Sullivan officially handed over the badge and the title.

“'Sheriff Dave Rosado.' It’s a little surreal, but I am ready for the challenge," the new sheriff told News 3.

It's surreal...and not likely the job Rosado pictured for himself early in his professional career.

Raised by Puerto Rican-Americans in New York City, Rosado began a career in broadcast, and for a long time worked closely with journalist Geraldo Rivera.

He says he moved to Hampton Roads in the late 90s and passed up an entry-level camera job at a local television station over low pay. In 2001, Rosado followed a friend to the Chesapeake Sheriff's Office.

“I worked in the back of the jail. I worked in booking intake," he said of his early jobs as a deputy.

Working his way up, Rosado spent time as Public Information Officer and would continue his visibility through the sheriff's Special Olympics and senior programs. He insists those programs will continue to be emphasized as he shifts into the top job.

He also wants to increase the focus on mental health of inmates in the Chesapeake Jail.

“Close to half of our inmates have mental health issues so we want to have a solution for them. We are building out now, as we speak, a mental health therapeutic ward in our jail and that's going to house and help those inmates," Sheriff Rosado told News 3.

Another goal is further expanding a program that puts deputies in Chesapeake Public Schools as a school resource officers.

This work will happen as Rosado campaigns to keep his new job.

Sheriff is an elected position and Rosado is finishing the last year of what was O'Sullivan's term. A judge waived the need for a special election this year, but Rosado will have to run for reelection in 2025.

It means balancing sheriff duties with campaign. Rosado insists it won't be a problem.

“I learned how to serve from my parents," he told News 3.

Rosado's mother was in the audience for his swearing-in ceremony, along with his wife and children. Missing was his father, who Rosado says passed away last year.

It's an emotional moment for the new sheriff, but he says the lessons from his dad live on.

Rosado is the first Hispanic American to hold the Chesapeake Sheriff position and he believes that upbringing will better help him serve.

“As a deputy, I translated for Spanish-speaking inmates and it was hard for them to communicate so I bridged that gap," he said. "Being Puerto Rican, coming from a diverse background, I can use that experience to connect and it’s about connecting with our citizens.”

The Chesapeake Sheriff's Office has a staff of around 450. J. Arthur Hodges was the city of Chesapeake's first sheriff, following by John Newhart, who held the office for 42 years. Jim O'Sullivan served beginning in 2012.

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After decades of work to clean up the polluted Chesapeake Bay, the federal, state and local partners within the 64,000-mile watershed have acknowledged they won’t reach their 2025 goals. But neither are they giving up.

Representatives of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, the regional partnership of states within the watershed, will gather Tuesday in Annapolis to discuss how to achieve not only those goals but new ones.

In Virginia, the discussion already has included pollution reduction measures farmers can adopt, and funding for them.

“The good news is that we’re entering this meeting with the partnership stronger than ever,” said Adam Ortiz, the Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator in the mid-Atlantic, who noted this will be the first meeting since 2014 with the governors from Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania in attendance.

The presence of all three is an indication of the importance of the Chesapeake Bay to their states’ ecosystems — it is home to over 300 types of fish, birds, insects and plants — and economy. The Bay’s seafood industry alone is worth $3 billion a year to Virginia and Maryland, according to the Virginia Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources.

Acknowledging the shortcomings of the work so far, the Chesapeake Bay Program Beyond 2025 Steering Committee earlier this year recommended recommitting to the partnership and streamlining processes. It also advocated for local involvement and new approaches.

On Thursday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued a four-page Executive Directive, stressing that, “Virginia is committed to being a part of the Partnership and continuing our efforts to protect the bay.”

But he also wrote, “it is evident that a clearer path forward is needed.”

Behind on the Bay

After starting the partnership in 1983 with a one page document, the partnership’s work has become a complex system with the states making commitments to reach certain outcomes, such as oyster abundance and water quality standards.

Virginia has met 100% of its sediment reduction targets, but only reached 80% of the reduction for nitrogen and 62% of the reduction for phosphorus. The concern is that those nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients feed harmful algal blooms and oxygen-deprived “dead zones,” that culminate with less than desired water quality standards.

In October, 29.8% of the Bay and the tidal tributaries feeding into it were found to have met water quality standards, “below the 100% attainment necessary to support a healthy Bay ecosystem.”

“Chesapeake Bay restoration is at a crossroads,” said Chesapeake Bay Foundation Virginia Director Chris Moore in a recent statement lauding Youngkin’s commitment to the partnership. “Virginia’s upcoming legislative session is a prime opportunity for the Commonwealth to continue our important investments in cleaner waterways and iconic living resources.”

The causes

Work on the bay the past 40 years have focused on pollution reductions from the stormwater and wastewater sectors, and the agricultural community.

During a December 2023 meeting with the Virginia State Water Commission, Mike Rolband, the director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, reported that upgrades to stormwater treatment plants, which are behind on the goals, and wastewater treatment plants, which are ahead of the goals, had led to a reduction of 8.2 million pounds of nitrogen and 708 pounds of phosphorus.

But farmers, while making progress last year, have only installed about 6,095 acres of forested buffers, or 28% of what’s needed for targets set for 2027.

Martha Moore, vice president of governmental relations with the Virginia Farm Bureau, said the slow adoption rates were due to insufficient funding from the state’s cost-share program

“They got really frustrated,” said Moore of farmers who were told, “we just don’t have the money.”

Farmers also were upset that they were not part of the conversation. This year that changes with the creation of a farmers advisory committee.

“We know that we can’t see an acceleration of and completion of the restoration effort without the success of farmers,” Ortiz said.

In his directive, Youngkin acknowledges a need to verify best management practices that may be happening but not being counted, which happens because they haven’t been reevaluated in years. Moore said a survey with the Virginia Cooperative Extension will help capture those numbers.

“Really what we want to see is the continuation and building upon where we’re seeing those successes,” said Travis Voyles, secretary of Natural and Historic Resources, in an interview. “Avoiding the hammer, but really embracing those incentive based approaches, in a voluntary manner, that are being effective.”

The funding

Youngkin’s directive also calls for an evaluation of water quality improvement funds, which provide the funding for the stormwater and wastewater plant upgrades. Excess revenues for the fund are to be directed to the best management practice cost-share program.

In an interview Friday, Chris Pomeroy, an attorney with the Virginia Association of Municipal Wastewater Agencies, said funding for the wastewater sector must continue in order to maintain the reductions that have been made, calling it “the single most important thing Virginia can do.”.

Pomeroy said about $600 million had been appropriated so far and about $800 million is needed to complete projects underway.

With the agricultural program fully funded now, Moore said, “I’m just very proud of the fact that we finally have achieved that goal. Now, I think we just have to figure out, how do we get to the end?”

One potential way, according to the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board that oversees the conservation districts around the state that administer the cost-share program, is more staffing to get the money out the door. A point the board made in a letter to Sen. Dave Marsden, D-Fairfax, and Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington, the chairs of Virginia’s natural resource and agricultural committees.

“The team is now deploying more resources than at any point in their history, while pay compression and uncompetitive salaries strain the Department’s ability to retain key staff,” wrote board chair Charles Newton. “The Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board is concerned that without new investment into the Department’s team, the agency will face more staff loss and be unable to keep pace with the growing demands for their services.”

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