CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Broadband is getting closer to a lot of front doors in West Virginia.
The state Broadband Enhancement Council heard two reports at its meeting Wednesday focusing on projects nearing completion.
Appalachian Power project
AEP Managing Director of Broadband Scott Osterholt said Appalachian Power’s expansion of broadband in Logan and Mingo counties is nearing completion status. He said nearly 5,000 potential customers in Logan County and 1,500 potential customers in Mingo County are ready for activation. He said those numbers would grow in the coming months with the completion of fiber rollout and splicing.
“At the end of October we should have this down to either 100 percent or that 98 or 99 percent,” Osterholt said.
Osterholt told the council 126 customers have been successfully activated.
The state Public Service Commission approved the Appalachian Power plant in June 2021.
“Lack of broadband service has a crippling effect in rural areas of West Virginia,” PSC Chairman Charlotte Lane said at the time. “Businesses, schools, and students have suffered and fallen behind due to the lack of connectivity. The Public Service Commission is pleased to be able to play a role in getting West Virginia connected.”
GigaBeam Networks, a Bluefield, Virginia company, is responsible for operating the infrastructure.
Broadband Council member Michael Holstein said it was great to hear about projects getting done.
“It’s existing to me that we are sitting in these meetings now listening to these completions,” Holstein said. “The fruits of the labor–we are seeing those.”
ARPA work
The broadband council also received an update Tuesday on the ARPA broadband expansion projects.
Jeffrey Hartley, who is the Broadband Division Lead/Project Manager for the Thrasher Group, which is the council’s engineering partner, reported 22,592 of 42,496 have been served. He said there are currently 45 active projects with most expected to be completed over the next few months.
“You’ll see in the coming months this report drastically change as projects transition out of construction fully and into closeout and completion,” Hartley said.
The state received more than $200 million in ARPA grants for broadband expansion.
“We’re seeing now everything this council has worked hard for and produced for these projects—you’re now seeing them fully built in the field,” Hartley said.
BEAD update
Economic Development Director of Broadband Kelly Workman said a full update on BEAD funding would come next month.
The state will receive $546 million to connect more than 73,000 unserved and underserved locations across West Virginia.
“This is a busy time for the broadband office,” Workman said Wednesday. “We’re winding down the ARPA projects, getting BEAD up and off the ground and executing BEAD.”