West Virginia has $1.2 billion coming from the federal government for high-speed internet expansion, but it won’t be established with a magic poof.
The state still has to get through a series of deadlines and oversight procedures to make sure the broadband rollout is efficient and smooth.
“It is a lot of money, and it’s a it’s a huge responsibility and we take it very seriously,” said Kelly Workman, director of the West Virginia Office of Broadband.
Over the next month, West Virginia will submit a five-year action plan that includes details about workforce development and digital equity. That leads up to an initial proposal to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“It’s massive,” said Kelly Workman, estimating that the proposal could be ready by the end of this year.
Federal officials this week announced the state allocations of a $42.5 billion internet expansion plan across the country, calling it historic. The money is coming through Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress and signed by President Biden in 2021.
West Virginia is among the 19 states receiving more than a billion dollars in funding. The high amount is because West Virginia was able to demonstrate, through mapping, its high rate of unserved and underserved locations.
The rollout will also work by using target address maps, Workman said.
“Every address location in the state of West Virginia is on a map is it’s blue, it’s served if it’s yellow, it’s unserved. And so when we execute our grant application process, companies in West Virginia or in neighboring states that want to expand into West Virginia will submit proposals to serve those and served target addresses,” she said on MetroNews’ “Talkline.”
West Virginia will follow a pattern that has already been established through earlier American Rescue Act funding — accepting applications, reviewing those for financial, technical and community impact scores.
“The best projects are selected. And those projects are put under a grant agreement for a specific scope of work to reach a specific number of locations,” Workman said.
West Virginia should receive 20 percent of its total allocation in 2024.
“Once we get those projects selected and under contract and they’re through the design and permitting phase, they can begin construction,” said Workman, noting that the total buildout time runs through 2029.
Safeguards include a specific scope of work in specific areas for companies under contract. Regular progress meetings, financial reviews and field verifications are meant to help catch any issues early.
“We don’t wait until the end and then find out that something hasn’t gone the way we intended,” Workman said. “I would say we keep a hand on the projects; we never take our eyes off of them.”
Earlier this week, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo appeared at a streaming news conference with Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and said the internet opportunity is historic. She also alluded to provisions intended to ensure the moment measures up.
“With this money, your $1.2 billion, to connect about 300,000 folks in West Virginia, it is plenty of money to get to everyone,” Raimando said in the briefing.
“And we mean the small farm or family at the end of a long road in rural West Virginia because we’re going to subsidize the companies to make that infrastructure investment. And then we’re going to hold them accountable to provide the internet at the price a family can afford.”
Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., also described an emphasis on making sure the opportunity isn’t squandered.
“The good news is, we’re going to get a lot of money. The bad news is, we’ve been lagging,” Capito said this week on “580 Live” on WCHS Radio.
“So this is going to be able to connect that last home, that last location. We are going to have a lot of accountability in here working with the Broadband Enhancement Council. They’ve done great work at the state level to be ready for this.”
Capito also emphasized an affordable connectivity plan for families that are financially squeezed.
“It says basically that the each internet service provider has to present a plan that’s considered adequate by the FCC, good service, and it’s can only charge $30,” she said.
“And for the folks that qualify for this, they would get the $30 as a subsidy to be able to afford the plan. So that’s a part of this as well. And that’s an essential part. Because we don’t want that excuse to be ‘I can’t afford it has to be affordable, and it has to be accessible.'”