CHARLESTON, W.Va. — After three years of working with the federal government for more than $1 billion in broadband expansion funding, state officials are bracing for what will come next after a pause was announced last week.
West Virginia Broadband Office Director Kelly Workman said they are expecting changes in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program but aren’t quite sure what those might include. Officials with the Trump administration announced a “rigorous review” of the $42.5 billion program.
“There are some suggestions that have been raised concerning efficiencies that can be gained through the environmental review process,” Workman told the state Broadband Enhancement Council Thursday. “We know the Department of Treasury followed an expedited process for the American Rescue Plan projects that has worked very well.”
While the review is being conducted, Congressman Richard Hudson (R, NC) and Chairman of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee on the House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced the Streamlining Program Efficiency and Expanding Deployment (SPEED) for the BEAD Act. That bill would seek to ensure timely and accessible deployment of the BEAD program.
However, Workman said their work has continued with great improvements for state residents since 2019. During that period, fiber infrastructure jumped by more than 200 percent.
“In 2019 we were about 200,700, and in 2024 we jumped up to almost 685,000, so that gives us the 240 percent increase in fiber infrastructure in West Virginia during that period,” Workman said.
Over the past four years, a patchwork of programs has expanded broadband. Workman showed data that said the work has resulted in a 100 percent improvement in upload speeds and reliability.
“A 70 percent increase in median download speeds and a 189 percent increase in median speed from four years ago,” Workman said.
The BEAD process is now in the final application phase. All of the necessary information has been submitted to the federal government, and the application will be ready April 17, one before the due date.
“We have a mandatory 14-day public comment period, and that puts us up to early April with that whole process and a good position to submit the final application before the deadline.”
When the projects move forward she said the state has done the preparation work to quickly move the projects from the blueprint to the finished product.
“In Q-1 of 2025 our next step takes us to the final proposal, and then of course upon National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approval we’ll move to implementation, and it’s a four-year build-out period.”