As residents of the deep south counties already know, broadband service can be spotty — and even at times non-existent — depending upon where you live.
Getting high-speed broadband service to more families and businesses in need has been a priority of lawmakers for sometime now.
That’s why it is important to note that a draft of the long-awaited update of federal mapping of broadband coverage around the country has been released by the Federal Communications Commission.
We are, of course, interested in the maps for West Virginia and Virginia.
Area lawmakers, including U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. and U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., are urging residents of the Mountain State to look at the West Virginia map to make sure it is accurate.
The coverage maps were released earlier this month, and Capito says she has concerns with “how they represent West Virginia’s coverage.” She wants area residents to check out the FCC maps to make sure their address is accurately represented.
“These maps, which I have long advocated and also provided funds for, will ultimately play a critical role in our efforts to bridge the digital divide, which is why I will be continuing to work with the FCC to see that West Virginians are accurately represented on these maps,” Capito said last week.
Area residents can view the FCC National Broadband Map online at broadbandmap.fcc.gov/home#/.
Once you are on the website, you can then enter your address and the map shows if there is any coverage available at the address and the speed if it is available.
Both Capito and Manchin have pushed for more broadband coverage for many years, and the Broadband DATA Act was signed into law in 2020. It includes several provisions Capito, who is a member of both the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Commerce Committee, authored and were part of her Broadband Data Improvement Act, which she introduced in May 2019.
Manchin has also urged the FCC to update its incorrect broadband coverage maps that determine how millions of dollars in funding to expand reliable, affordable broadband coverage for Americans and West Virginians is allocated.
However, to ensure the accuracy of the broadband maps, area residents need to go online and make sure their coverage is accurately represented.
“I encourage every West Virginian to check their coverage on the FCC’s updated map and submit a challenge if it is wrong before Jan. 13,” Manchin said. “Thanks to my provision in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these updated maps will provide the basis for billions of dollars in infrastructure funding to ensure every American and West Virginian gets reliable, affordable broadband access, but they will only be as accurate as the input they receive from states, communities, and consumers.”
Capito said lawmakers frequently hear concerns from constituents about no service, poor service and sudden disconnects.
“This will help show where the problems are,” Capito said, adding a map should include exactly where broadband expansion and enhancement are needed the most. “We have to get the mapping right.”
She’s correct. Area residents can help ensure the accuracy of the new broadband maps by checking their coverage online. It takes only a few minutes and will help in ensuring that the high-speed service is deployed to all communities in our region still in need of broadband connections.