FAIRMONT — High speed broadband access must be more of a priority if the state hopes to capitalize on technology to spur economic development, increase educational opportunities and improve quality of life.

That was the consensus of participants at a broadband roundtable discussion hosted by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Wednesday morning at Fairmont’s I-79 Technology Park.

“It’s got to be sooner than later,” Capito said. “If we take too long, we will fall behind.”

Data provided by Tony Simental, state geographical information systems coordinator for West Virginia, showed that only 56 percent of people in the state have access to Internet connections over 4 megabits per second (Mbps) — 500 kilobytes per second.

“This is something we have to work on,” Capito said.

Simental’s data also showed that of those who actually have a contract with an Internet service provider, only 63 percent are able to reach speeds of 4 Mbps.

Capito identified the two separate issues at play in the state: Lack of access by many residents to broadband connections and lack of speed in many of the existing connections. She was concerned that too few people care about some citizens not having high-speed Internet access.

“I feel like the most lucrative thing for a business would be to increase the speed for existing customers rather than going the extra mile for those who don’t have service,” Capito said.

A response came from Ryan Palmer, Federal Communications Commission telecommunications access policy division chief: “You hit the nail on the head.”

Palmer confirmed Capito’s fear that companies often focus more on bettering current connections than expanding the infrastructure. This trend is due to the sparseness of the population “at the end of the line,” meaning companies likely will not see enough returns from customers to pay for the investment of installing the lines.

The FCC is rolling out a new program to bring broadband to areas where there are no current providers. According to Palmer, the companies will have a chance to review income projections to see if they would rather decline the subsidies before expanding their networks to rural areas.

“If you accept the funding, you are accepting the commitment to provide coverage to these areas,” Palmer said.

But there is a justification for companies to increase speeds as well, according to Mark DeFalco, telecommunications initiative manager for the Appalachian Regional Commission. He said areas with slow Internet connections risk losing both businesses and younger generations to areas with broadband service.

“Rural areas are falling further and further behind,” DeFalco said.

Dr. Margaret Jaynes, vice chair of the West Virginia Telehealth Alliance, explained that slower Internet connections in rural areas decrease access to medical care. Many new methods of monitoring in-home patients require broadband connections.

“The areas that are not covered by broadband are those areas where we see the worst health statistics,” Jaynes said.

Patients who cannot be monitored from home oftentimes must ask family members to take time off work to drive them several hours for examinations, an expense that sometimes leads to delayed checkups, Jaynes said.

“We are moving beyond brick-and-mortar healthcare,” Jaynes said.

One potential solution to the lack of an extensive network in the state could come in the form of funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service, according to Richard Jenkins, a field representative for RUS.

“We have grant opportunities that would bring broadband infrastructure into the state,” Jenkins said.

Capito thinks the RUS grants should be pursued since it would allow the state to build infrastructure without using money from the state’s budget.

“We need to make sure West Virginia qualifies for those dollars,” Capito said.

She thinks West Virginia should consider Kentucky’s example of installing a high-speed network in a circular pattern around the state, providing the potential for broadband throughout the state.

The panelists also said Wednesday that students are susceptible to educational setbacks because of a lack of broadband. They said a “homework gap” is created when academic materials cannot be access online.

“A lot of times, the students have to watch videos at home that will be discussed in class the next day,” DeFalco said. “When we have kids who can’t see the video because they don’t have Internet access, we have a problem.”

After more than two hours of discussions, panelists had not discovered a surefire solution to broadband connection woes throughout the state. But they did define the situation as being important for all residents, and they committed efforts to working toward finding a solution quickly.

Palmer best summarized everyone’s concern: “Being connected is vital to full participation in society.”