WEST VIRGINIA (LOOTPRESS) – More than $100 million in public and private investment will expand high-speed broadband service across rural areas of West Virginia, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Thursday.
The expansion is expected to bring new broadband service to more than 5,000 previously unserved locations and support reliable internet access for approximately 10,000 rural homes and small businesses.
“Reliable broadband is essential to creating jobs, improving access to healthcare, and making sure West Virginians can build a future in the communities they call home,” said Governor Morrisey.
“Public-private partnerships like this are helping us reach communities where the terrain and economics make expansion difficult. By working together, we are connecting more families and businesses while creating new opportunities across rural West Virginia.”
Morrisey joined Armstrong President Jeff Ross, FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty, federal and state partners, and community leaders in Hamlin for the announcement.
Armstrong is deploying more than 500 miles of fiber infrastructure through the more than $100 million investment.
The work is being supported through the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment, or BEAD, Program; West Virginia’s Line Extension Advancement and Development, or LEAD, Program; and the Federal Communications Commission’s Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model Program.
Projects are already underway in rural areas of the state.
Expanding broadband service in rural West Virginia can be challenging because of the state’s mountainous terrain, long distances between homes and businesses and limited existing infrastructure. Officials said the public-private investments are intended to help overcome those challenges and extend service into areas that have historically been difficult to reach.
“Expanding broadband is about making sure every part of West Virginia can participate in our economic growth,” said Governor Morrisey.
“Reliable high-speed internet means better access to jobs, new opportunities for small businesses, more options for healthcare and education, and the ability for more West Virginians to live and work in the communities they call home.”
