Two weeks ago U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) unveiled her bold high-speed Internet/broadband initiative called the Capito Connect Plan. In it she layed out a three-step approach to tackling the broadband challenge in West Virginia.
The three steps are: understanding the benefits of a connected West Virginia; fostering collaboration between government and the private sector; and promoting economic growth through innovation.
Senator Capito also launched what she and her staff are calling a listening tour across the state. The goal is to get a better understanding of the real Internet/broadband problems families and businesses face every day.
The timing couldn’t be better. Just prior to the Capito Connect Plan announcement, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released new details about its Connect America Fund. The fund was increased by nearly $1.7 billion to expand and support broadband service in rural areas. According to the FCC, West Virginia is eligible for up to $38 million of the total funds. The program allows Internet providers like Frontier Communications and Atlantic Broadband (both of which service Preston County) four months to accept or decline offers on a state-level basis. Ultimately, the goal is to provide ongoing support for networks that can deliver broadband at speeds of at least 10 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads and 1 Mbps for uploads to nearly 9 million rural residents nationwide. In January the FCC updated its broadband benchmark speeds to 25 Mbps for downloads and 3 Mbps for uploads. The previous standard was 4 Mbps/1 Mbps set in 2010.
All of this is welcome news for many West Virginians who currently lack quality and affordable access to high-speed Internet/broadband. In conjunction with the Connect America Fund increase, the Capito Connect Plan could be exactly what we need in drawing more attention to a serious infrastructure problem. The combination of additional dollars and political pressure could make all the difference. After all, most people living in Preston County, for example, have been trying to live with an Internet access problem since it was first discovered.
There is, however, a flipside to what Senator Capito is attempting and what everyone absolutely wants and believes they deserve when it comes to Internet access. The cost to expand broadband service to every rural location is astronomical. Without breaking it down thoroughly, a conservative estimate just to “wire” all of Preston County would be as high as $20 million if not more. And what about folks who live in very sparse areas of the county or state? What about those whose closest neighbor is a mile or so away? Who foots the bill to plug these folks in? The taxpayer? Provider? Customer? These are the questions all of us need to ask.
Senator Capito’s plan is a bold step forward which could ultimately accomplish its goal of becoming a true roadmap for bringing affordable, high-speed Internet access to every home, business and classroom in West Virginia. But until it is considered a public utility like water or electricity, Internet will continue to be a kind of “high-tech class system” made up of the “haves:” Those living in urban areas with a strong economic base, population; and the “have-nots:” Those living in rural areas with a less successful economic base and a low population.