CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The main theme being reiterated at Wednesday’s West Virginia Broadband Summit is getting the Mountain State’s communities fully connected.
Following the announcement that the state is on track to receive a total of $1.2 billion for high-speed internet connectivity, the two-day summit’s focus was about putting the allocation of those funds into action as the initial rollout process soon gets underway.
Nearly 200 internet providers and businesses, state and federal officials and entities were slated to be in attendance at Wednesday’s event, which included topics ranging from not only connecting communities, but broadband mapping and speed testing, digital equity and infrastructure investment.
“Broadband connectivity is essentially the electric and water of the previous centuries, this is our generation’s biggest capital investment in connectivity,” West Virginia Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Mitch Carmichael told MetroNews.
He also said the summit was meant to ensure providers and suppliers involved in bringing connectivity options to the state are made aware of the completion of already available programs and funding through the ARPA Broadband Investment Plan.
Carmichael was just one of the many officials speaking at the summit, which was being hosted by the West Virginia Office of Broadband, the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council, West Virginia Economic Development and the West Virginia Economic Development Council.
The National Telecommunications Information Administration in June announced that West Virginia was going to be receiving approximately $1,210,800,969 in Broadband Equity Access and Development (BEAD).
Director of the West Virginia Office of Broadband Kelly Workman said the host agencies of the summit were there to discuss accountability and internal control with exactly how and where the historic BEAD funding is going to be utilized to accomplish the goal in connecting all of West Virginia.
“The message from the summit is that West Virginia is ready, that we have a plan in place and good support and programs and internal controls to adequately manage the funding that is coming to West Virginia,” Workman said.
The $1.2 billion is being allocated over a 5 year period that Carmichael said will gradually be dispersed to the unserved homes and businesses. He said West Virginia is ranked on the lower end of the scale of the states that have efficient internet connectivity and speed in the nation and this funding will help to fill those gaps.
“We have over 270,000 addresses that are currently not served by broadband and our goal, our mission, our objective is to reach those unserved,” said Carmichael.
Workman said the state faces a few challenges when it comes to actually getting the broadband internet here, however, one is having the access to the most rural communities, which is where the funds are mainly being focused.
“When there is low population density there wouldn’t typically be a return on that investment, so this federal funding will support the capital investment needed to get out to our most rural communities,” Workman said.
The low population density challenge Workman said is coupled with West Virginia’s mountainous terrain, topography that makes it difficult for providers to access all corners of the state. Along with that, she said they are faced with aging infrastructure.
However, Carmichael said the BEAD funding is the second highest per capita allocation of funds to deliver broadband, which will help to ensure the success of its deployment.
“We’re pushing, this is a seminal moment we believe in the evolution of broadband in West Virginia, this is a generational opportunity that comes around once in a lifetime, and we’re going to utilize this money to its fullest extent,” said Carmichael.