Friday, May 21, 2010
West Virginia Officials Discuss Broadband
WEST VIRGINIA....
West Virginia state officials estimate that high-speed broadband isn't available to about 20 to 30 percent of West Virginians. The state has received more than $130 million in federal economic stimulus money to build a broadband network, while Frontier Communications says it plans to spend $48 million to expand broadband to 85 percent of its customers, if it completes a deal to purchase Verizon's landlines next month. Verizon now offers broadband to 60 percent of its customers statewide. At a meeting of the West Virginia Broadband Council this week, council members acknowledged that it might not make financial sense for telecommunications companies to bring broadband to areas with few customers, but State Commerce Secretary Kelley Goes noted that the Broadband Council was established about a year and a half ago "to take care of areas that had nothing." Goes, who's leading Gov. Joe Manchin's push to have West Virginia wired for high-speed Internet, said "Our mission is to keep focused on what's not being done."
West Virginia state officials estimate that high-speed broadband isn't available to about 20 to 30 percent of West Virginians. The state has received more than $130 million in federal economic stimulus money to build a broadband network, while Frontier Communications says it plans to spend $48 million to expand broadband to 85 percent of its customers, if it completes a deal to purchase Verizon's landlines next month. Verizon now offers broadband to 60 percent of its customers statewide. At a meeting of the West Virginia Broadband Council this week, council members acknowledged that it might not make financial sense for telecommunications companies to bring broadband to areas with few customers, but State Commerce Secretary Kelley Goes noted that the Broadband Council was established about a year and a half ago "to take care of areas that had nothing." Goes, who's leading Gov. Joe Manchin's push to have West Virginia wired for high-speed Internet, said "Our mission is to keep focused on what's not being done."
# posted by Homer Owens @ 11:14 AM 
