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Capito continues to hear broadband stories as part of Capito Connect initiative

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) is hearing back from stakeholders in broadband, both West Virginia citizens, business and education leaders as part of her Capito Connect Stories initiative.

Speaking virtually with the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce (WVCC) and members of the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council on Thursday morning, Capito said she has received over 700 messages about broadband after announcing the initiative.

Capito, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, as well as co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, met with Marshall University President Brad Smith this week and broadband was part of the discussion. Smith, the creator of Ascend WV which is a program to attract people to remote work in West Virginia, said broadband is key to get people to cross the border to the Mountain State.

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. (File)

Capito said West Virginia must continue to make strides in broadband during the remote work movement with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think the availability of remote work and federal availability of remote work is something West Virginia can capitalize on. But if we don’t have the service, we can’t do it. We know that,” Capito said Thursday.

Capito complimented Smith’s vision, as Smith comes from an entrepreneurship and business background being the former CEO of Intuit. The senator said higher education can help the broadband movement and Smith can make his mark.

“It’s teaching to the jobs of the future and the jobs of the future is the internet. You have to have connectivity. There’s no way around it and there shouldn’t be,” Capito said.

“He’s (Smith) doing well and I think he’s going to bring all that expertise.”

Capito Connect is one of the first initiatives Capito introduced when she joined the Senate in 2015 to highlight the digital divide in the state. West Virginia is going to get more than $100 million dollars from the federal infrastructure law to expand broadband, MetroNews previously reported.

Capito said the challenges she has heard and witnessed first-hand when traveling the state is about time and money, but now the money has arrived.

She told WVCC officials that terrain remains an issue but said small providers and more competition may solve that. She credited Hardy Telecommunications in Hardy County as a small provider providing quality services. Capito also mentioned the cable competition coming to Charleston with the recent approval of CAS Cable.

During the discussion, Capito also touched on the idea of getting students connected to the internet first and that will branch to other family members.

“Because if you connect all the students, you can connect the grandmother or mother that needs telehealth, a parent or grandparent working remotely. Not every house has that home dynamic but many of them do,” the senator said.

On Thursday afternoon, Capito will host a Capito Connect roundtable discussion with community and business leaders.





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