CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council is asking state residents to take part in an internet speed test.
The test will generate a statewide broadband coverage map to identify the presence and levels of broadband service in the Mountain State.
The Council created a Speed Test Portal which allows state residents to accurately measure their internet speed.
The speed test can be found HERE.
“Folks in West Virginia can go to the website and put in their information, their address, take a speed test that’s provided by a third party that has nothing to do with the state of West Virginia and see what kind of speed they’re receiving as a user,” explained Bob Hinton, chairman of the WV Broadband Enhancement Council.
State residents can then share their internet speed information on the portal.
“They can post those test results on our portal and we can then aggregate that data and cross check that data with the FCC data to get a really good idea of where broadband service is and what level of service is actually getting to the end customer,” Hinton said.
State leaders have been working to expand broadband access across West Virginia, especially in rural areas. Earlier this year, Governor Jim Justice signed House Bill 3093 into law which set forth additional duties and responsibilities for the Council to advance its purpose.
Hinton said they’re encouraging people to get involved with the effort and with the initiative.
“The more people that we have to participate in conducting speed tests, the better the information is going to be to able to analyze,” he said.