MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Senator Joe Manchin is hoping to provide strong advocacy for broadband in rural West Virginia.
The senator was in Kanawha County Friday to discuss expanding broadband internet into the more rural parts of West Virginia. Manchin, was on WAJR’s Morgantown AM explaining that the state itself is so far behind in regards to internet coverage, it compares to the electricity shortage that was experienced during the 1930’s.
“Rural broadband is the same as rural electrification, a lot of West Virginians don’t have it,” said Manchin. “Don’t have good connectivity, fast connectivity or any connectivity, so that’s what they’re coming here for today.”
According to Manchin, the discussion regarding expanding broadband access into the rural parts of West Virginia has been about three years in the making. The start of it was the FCC broadband coverage map which claimed that over 90 percent of rural america had some sort of broadband coverage. Manchin said this lead to him challenging the map while bringing in former FCC Commissioner Tom Wheeler to a West Virginia school to prove his dispute.
“I brought him into Tucker County, met at a school and I said ‘Hey Tom, why don’t you make a phone call?’ and the rest was history,” he said.
This has led to a larger push towards getting expanded broadband coverage, which includes an official dispute of the FCC’s broadband coverage map. Nationwide, the move towards expanding broadband internet has been becoming more of a reality with broadband towers being setup in Alabama that can reach into some parts of West Virginia. The rest, according to Manchin, is expected to come through newer technologies.
“It’s going to be basically low orbit satellites,” he said. “They’re going to do a lot of new technology intertwined with what we’re doing now with land base and tower base, wiring and wireless, things of that sort, so we need it all in West Virginia, especially in Southern West Virginia, where it’s extremely challenged.”
Despite the progress being made, no true time tables were given in regards to when the Mountain State should expect results from the work being done to bring expanded internet access.
Manchin said, even in spite of some of the biggest geographic challenges in the state, he expects rural broadband to become a reality in the Mountain State.
“So we’re going to get it done,” he said. “We’re pushing it hard, it has to be done for us to diversify our economy and be able to live in West Virginia.”