CHARLESTON, W.Va. — New numbers from the West Virginia Office of Broadband show there remains work to do in the state when it comes to internet access but no other state has increased service more in the last few years than West Virginia.
The state Broadband Enhancement Council got a look at the numbers in an annual report presented at Wednesday’s council meeting.
The Broadband Office’s Kaitlyn Bolin told the council West Virginia finished 2024 as the third least connected state or territory at 89.4 percent but the state is gaining ground.
“Though connectivity is still needed in many areas of the state, and these programs are working to fix that, West Virginia leads the U.S. in internet growth since 2023,” she said. “In this fall’s data release it shows connected households in West Virginia increased by nearly 2.6 percent in 2024 which was the highest improvement in the nation.”
Bolin said only 76 percent of state residents had internet in 2017. She said the 13 percent growth over the last seven years is the sixth highest among states. The national average including Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico is 93.2 percent.
The report also shows growth in broadband, the number of locations with fiber. There were just more than 200,000 locations with fiber in 2019 and that grew to 693,000 locations in 2024, Bolin said.
“That’s a 245 percent increase in fiber locations in the last five years,” Bolin said.
Download speeds have increased by 83 percent since 2022 while upload speeds have increased by 37 percent during that same time.
Council member, state Senator Robbie Morris, praised the growth.
“West Virginia leads the U.S. in internet growth since 2023–leads the nation–I don’t think we can underline that enough,” Morris, R-Randolph, said.
He said it’s been more difficult than it should have been.
“Look at the improvement that we have made with all of those hurdles that were in our way that should not have been in our way, that should have not have been in our way but they were and look at the numbers on the screen right now, it’s simply amazing,” Morris said.
There are currently 46 active internet expansion projects underway in West Virginia under various funding programs. The state hopes to hear soon from the Trump administration on a request for significant federal funding under the BEAD program.
Morris said it’s only going to get better.
“It’s just accelerating now that we’re getting over these hurdles and ISPs are able to construct their fiber projects and get citizens connected. It’s just going to go up from there,” he said.