Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced that West Virginia’s final proposal for federally-funded broadband expansion is open for public comment, a milestone that the governor characterized as showing the goal is in sight.
The proposal is intended to serve all locations eligible for BEAD funding in West Virginia — about 74,000 locations, including unserved, underserved, and community anchor institutions.
“We are excited about the opportunity to bring broadband to every corner of our state and help every West Virginian reach their full potential,” Morrisey said.
“We are one of the first states in the nation to partner with the Trump Administration on this critical internet expansion to reach unserved areas. We are looking forward to the public comment period and ultimately bringing more jobs and transformational change to our state.”
West Virginia’s draft final proposal is available here. Comments may be submitted through a web form until midnight August 26, which is Tuesday.
Last year, West Virginia officials celebrated getting a jump toward improving broadband connectivity after the state became one of the first three approved to unlock millions of federal dollars. West Virginia’s was approved for $1.2 billion but still had work ahead to flesh out its proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.
The BEAD program is a $42.45 billion state grant program authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. States were allocated funding to deploy or upgrade high-speed internet networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service.
The Trump administration earlier this year announced a “rigorous review” of the BEAD program, leading to a delay and some restructuring that was put in place June 6.
The policy created a new 90-day deadline for all states to submit their BEAD final proposals.
The Final Proposal must be submitted to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on or before Sept. 4. The notice revised several elements of the BEAD Program, and required a “Benefit of the Bargain Round” prioritizing low-cost projects and a technology-neutral approach.
The West Virginia Department of Commerce, Division of Economic Development, Office of Broadband, will administer West Virginia’s BEAD allocation.
The final proposal describes how West Virginia complied with NTIA requirements, including the “Benefit of the Bargain Round,” and other information as required by the federal agency.