Broadband Funding…Shenandoah River
U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), both members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $5,000,000 from the U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to the West Virginia Department of Economic Development for broadband expansion across West Virginia.
West Virginia was one of the first states to have their BEAD planning application submitted, and this award marks a significant step in making sure this historic funding does not leave anyone behind.
“Providing West Virginians with access to fast-speed, reliable broadband services has been a top priority for me throughout my time in Congress, and the reason I started my Capito Connect program in 2015. While I was negotiating and helping craft the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, I made certain that ample resources would be made available for West Virginia’s unserved and underserved areas, and that West Virginia would also receive additional formula funding to support broadband expansion. NTIA is playing a pivotal role in our goal to close the digital divide,” Senator Capito said.
The funding announced was made possible by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The project will utilize community outreach, stakeholder engagement and data collection and analysis to expand broadband access to unserved and underserved populations across West Virginia.