A new bill in the West Virginia House would create a state level ...
A new bill in the West Virginia House would create a state level “facilitator” to extend broadband service by 2010 to all West Virginians now lacking broadband access and create programs that encourage broadband use. HB-4343 calls for a…
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nonprofit to work with public- and private-sector entities on a plan for universal broadband access. It would set up a 10-member Joint Legislative Oversight Commission on Transportation and Infrastructure to study public and private funding sources for extending broadband to low income residents. The bill notes that while broadband has grown, with 80 percent of households having access, only 56 percent subscribe. The bill would require the state Department of Administration to document where broadband service is available today and where it will extend the next few years. It would require the Commerce Department to research broadband applications in private and public enterprises, seeking ways to use broadband to expand the state’s economic base, create jobs and enrich citizens’ lives. The measure is in the House Government Organization Committee. A similar bill passed last year but was vetoed by Gov. Joe Manchin. He said ongoing administration efforts to work through Verizon and Cisco Systems were likelier to produce broadband results by 2010.