West Virginia is in line for $1.2 billion in federal funding meant to dramatically increase broadband accessibility.
The state’s U.S. senators announced the dollar amount today, and the White House was making a broader announcement about the funding of internet expansion across the country.
Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said the results could make a huge difference in the lives of West Virginians who have limited or no access right now.
“We’re going to do well here,” Capito said in a telephone interview before West Virginia’s amount was announced. “The program is set up to direct it toward states like ours.
The money is coming through Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress and signed by President Biden in 2021. The law included $65 billion for broadband expansion.
Capito and Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., voted for the bill. Congressman Alex Mooney, now running for Senate, and Congresswoman Carol Miller voted against it.
“It’s one of the main reasons I voted for the infrastructure bill,” Capito said of the broadband expansion.
“This broadband thing is something that is solvable and the rewards that will come from it are measurable. A lot of things we do you can’t really touch and feel. This one you’ll be able to.”
Before the broadband can roll out to more places, the federal government worked to make sure it will be going to the right places, those that are underserved or unserved.
Senators pushed the Federal Communications Commission to ensure national broadband maps provide an accurate, reliable picture of availability across the nation. Manchin formally challenged the initial mapping by the FCC.
Early this month, the FCC released an update to its broadband maps adding an additional 1 million locations, including 330,000 new homes and businesses. The additions to the map now show more than 8.3 million addresses across the U.S. that have no or limited access to high-speed broadband internet.
Capito said that effort gives her confidence that the internet expansion will go where it’s needed most.
“We had to get the mapping right. Because we have such accurate maps of underserved areas we’re going to get a lot of money to complete those last connections,” Capito said.
Capito has made internet connectivity a priority for years through her Capito Connect program and other efforts.
She said the covid-19 pandemic made clear the divide among people with reliable internet service and those without, noting the students who had to connect to wifi through signals at fast food parking lots.
“If I go to a classroom, I ask for a show of hands: Who has internet connectivity. And you always get a good 25 percent who don’t have it,” Capito said. “It’s particularly in the rural areas. I hear about it every single day.”
Meanwhile, the more accurate mapping of places in need plus advances in technology should help even more people connect now that millions of dollars are available.
Capito said that will benefit “education, healthcare, work, tourism, farming, everything.
“This is the money, so we should be able to shorten the time because we know so much more about whatever mechanisms you can use, whether it’s wireless, fixed satellite, cabling.”
Manchin, in a news release, agreed the mapping of internet need has been crucial to demonstrating the potential benefits to West Virginia. Manchin was scheduled to join U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in a video press call this afternoon.
“This is a historic announcement for the Mountain State and will benefit every West Virginian,” Manchin stated.
Manchin had formally challenged the earlier FCC coverage maps and today thousands of West Virginians who submitted their own speed tests.
“Today, not only are we announcing more than $1.2 billion to finally ensure every home in West Virginia is connected to reliable broadband. The maps now show what we knew all along – that West Virginia is one of the least-served states in the country.”