Worries From West Virginia
Officials in West Virginia—which ranks near the bottom of states with access to broadband—are expressing concerns that the state may be left out in the cold when it comes to stimulus dollars. Much like the concerns from urban area officials, West Virginia’s problems stem from a definition in the broadband stimulus guidelines. The Charleston Daily Mail reports:
Dave Armentrout, chief operating officer of telecommunications provider FiberNet, is concerned that West Virginia may miss out on the $7.2 billion in federal stimulus money aimed at deploying broadband in rural and remote areas across the nation.
The way “remote area” has been defined by the federal agencies overseeing the program has eliminated most of West Virginia, “which we all know is ridiculous because West Virginia ranks in the top 47 or 48 states un-served by broadband,” Armentrout said.
When it comes to broadband grants, words indeed matter. Hopefully the NTIA will address the issues soon.



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