We will truly be able to celebrate when we see the results, but we join all West Virginians in cheering the great news that West Virginia will receive more than $1.2 billion in broadband funding.

Thanks to the efforts of US Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, as well as state officials and others, West Virginia is one of just 19 states to receive more than $1 billion as part of of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, which was established through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.

The money will be used to bring broadband service to “every resident” of West Virginia, according to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

“This is a huge day for West Virginia,” Raimondo said. “West Virginia will be receiving $1.2 billion, which is enough money to finally connect every resident of West Virginia.”

She reiterated later that she wasn’t exaggerating, that the money should be enough to extend broadband’s reach. And while we have doubts, knowing some of West Virginia’s hoots and hollers, we agree with Manchin when he compared the program to the Rural Electrification Administration of the late 1930s, which extended electricity to many rural regions of the nation.

“It’s basically the same thing as rural electrification,” he said. “How did we get a hot wire up every road, nook and cranny in West Virginia so that everyone could have electricity? It was unimaginable... That’s the premise that we’re working off of.”

Manchin and Capito deserve credit for constantly pressuring federal officials to revisit the Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Coverage maps.

They also repeatedly encouraged state residents to challenge earlier FCC determinations about broadband speeds and availability.

“I have consistently worked with those involved in this process at both the state and federal levels to ensure our maps are as accurate as possible and West Virginia receives its fair share of funding,” Capito said in a statement.

“This funding, which is the largest amount of broadband funding awarded to the state to date, will assist in our efforts to provide communities with the resources they need to improve connectivity overall. We are on the cusp of a major breakthrough — one that I am committed to seeing though.”

The next step is for West Virginia to submit a plan for how the funding will be used to deliver broadband to the masses. Funding won’t be released until the federal government approves the plan.

As we’ve noted before, West Virginia has received federal funding for broadband before, and the results of those grants to private companies didn’t provide near the service expected.

State and federal officials must do more to safeguard this latest round of funding to make sure it serves its purpose. And if they do and broadband reaches each and every West Virginian, then that will truly be a day worth celebrating.