The Broadband Equity Access and Development Program (BEAD) announced $1.2 billion towards broadband expansion in West Virginia in June 2023, with final federal approval in April 2024. However, in remarks at the West Virginia Broadband Summit on Tuesday, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV, said a slow federal timeline has meant none of that amount has been distributed.
The Broadband Equity Access and Development Program (BEAD) announced $1.2 billion towards broadband expansion in West Virginia in June 2023, with final federal approval in April 2024. However, in remarks at the West Virginia Broadband Summit on Tuesday, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV, said a slow federal timeline has meant none of that amount has been distributed.
“We’re really pleased with our local providers, with the input that we have every day trying to make ways to make this thing flow,” Capito said. “But the fact of the matter is, we still haven’t connected one person yet.
West Virginia is one of the first states to open BEAD’s subgrantee process. The full application period for organizations seeking grant funding to expand broadband access in qualifying areas ends Thursday, and the state plans to add an extension period.
In the meantime, other pandemic-era broadband funds have dried up. The FCC Affordable Connectivity program ended for West Virginians in April due to a lack of continued federal funding.
This year, Capito also reintroduced the bipartisan Rural Broadband Protection Act with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn; the U.S. Senate passed it this September. The bill outlines steps geared to transparency and accountability steps.
Capito noted launching “Capito Connects,” announced in 2015, as long-term advocacy for rural broadband. That original announcement lists connectivity benefitting “telehealth, education, and economic development,” points she noted on Tuesday as well.
“I already voiced my three year frustration, but we are going to get this done,” Capito said. “The recognition of the urgency of this problem and the depth of this problem was something that I felt when I began my first statewide campaign.”
The new federal rules say any company, large or small, that offers standalone broadband internet service is required to prominently display consumer friendly labels at the point of sale, including in store and online.
Broadband labeling has been in development since 2015, and was completed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Biden Administration.
The new federal rules take effect April10, 2024. They say any company, large or small, that offers standalone broadband internet service is required to prominently display consumer friendly labels at the point of sale, including in store and online.
This broadband label was purposefully stylized after food nutrition labels.
Courtesy of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
The labeling will resemble the nutrition labels found on food products. The labels must be easy-to-read and include broadband prices, introductory rate details, data allowances and broadband speeds. The labels must also include easy-to-navigate links to learn more about available discounts or service bundles, network management practices and privacy policies.
Separate labels must be displayed for each standalone broadband service offered and it cannot be buried where multiple clicks are reduced to a link, thumbnail or icon that a consumer might miss.
FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Chief Alejandro Roark said it was vital to get internet access service clarified and simplified.
“The FCC borrowed the nutrition label model format from food products because we wanted to make basic information about broadband internet service easily recognizable and easy to understand,” Roark said. “Our rules require that these labels be fully displayed at the point of sale, including on the main purchasing pages that providers may have online.”
Deputy Director of the White House National Economic Council Jon Donenberg said the labels will help consumers comparison shop for internet service, eliminating obscure terms and fine print.
“It will make sure that you have a clear, straightforward explanation of your home internet and mobile plans and services before you sign up for anything,” Donenberg said. “That transparency will also save you money. By making it easier to directly compare plans from one provider to another. Consumers will be able to get the best and most affordable deal on the market or the exact type of service that they need. And companies can compete on offering better terms, not just more confusing ones.”
Roark said the labeling requirements will be extended to the consumer’s monthly bills.
“We’re also making sure that consumers access the standardized, easy to understand information about their internet service plan and doesn’t end when they sign up for service.” Roark said. “In particular, the commission required internet service providers to make the labels accessible on a consumer’s online account. That means that consumers will be able to find this information whenever they pay their bill, compare their current plan to other plans, or engage in any other activity online.”
Regarding potential violations of the broadband labeling laws, the FCC Enforcement Bureau and other bureaus will monitor public reporting consumer complaints to the commission, notices from partner agencies and use other investigative tools to monitor compliance with the law, and refer matters to the Enforcement Bureau as appropriate.
Consumers who feel that the transparency rules are not being met may file complaints with the FCC. The commission will follow up on those complaints to see if there is some larger pattern that may need to be acted on.
To view a glossary that helps consumers better understand the information displayed on the label, click here.
A national Emergency Alert System test will begin Wednesday at approximately 2:20 p.m.
A national emergency alert system test will begin Wednesday at approximately 2:20 p.m. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission will be testing an alert system that notifies the public of national, state or local emergencies.
The text will display on smartphones in either Spanish or English, depending on the language settings. An alert will also go out on radio and TV. Kanawha County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director C.W. Sigman said if you get an alert outside of routine testing it generally means something very serious is going on.
“It means to pay attention to alerts, go inside, turn on your TV or radio. Try to get more information,” he said.
He said the use of TV, Radio and Cellular alerts helps provide wider coverage, especially for areas with no cellular signal.
“The emergency alert will kind of tell you what’s going on but you may want more information to know what kind of protective actions you should take,” Sigman said.
To ensure that these alerts are accessible to the entire public, including residents with disabilities, the alerts will have a unique tone and vibration.
Seven private West Virginia schools will receive more than $120,000 from the Federal Communications Commission.
Seven private West Virginia schools will receive more than $120,000 from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The largest individual award of $53,850 will go to the Eastern Panhandle Preparatory Academy, a charter school in Kearneysville.
The other six awards are:
$37,600 – St. Patrick School, Weston
$6,926 – St. Michael School, Wheeling
$6,926 – Central Catholic High School, Wheeling
$6,926 – Our Lady of Peace School, Wheeling
$6,233 – St. Paul School, Weirton
$3,694 – Fairmont Catholic School, Fairmont
The funding is made possible through the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) and will help the schools purchase laptops and tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers and broadband connections for students, faculty and staff.
The ECF was authorized as part of the American Rescue Plan to provide $7.17 billion to expand distance learning and connectivity around the country.
The most recent allocation last year went to Greenbrier, Nicholas, Wayne, Kanawha, Cabell and Lincoln County School Districts.
High speed internet is one step closer for unserved parts of West Virginia with new maps just released by the FCC.
High speed internet is one step closer for unserved parts of West Virginia with new maps just released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
During a briefing with West Virginia reporters, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced the release of the updated broadband maps for the entire country. He said the first round of maps came out last November, but were quickly challenged.
In response, the Federal Communications Commission changed how it determined the presence of broadband in an area — switching from census tracts to individual homes and businesses.
In an online statement, Susan Rosenworcel, the FCC chairwoman, said the new maps “identified every household and small business in the country that should have access to high-speed internet service. For context on how much more granular this is than what came before, in our current mapping effort the Commission identified over 114 million locations where fixed broadband could be installed compared to data from just 8.1 million census blocks in our prior maps.”
Manchin said the new mapping revealed 86,000 more locations in West Virginia without reliable broadband bringing the number to 271,000.
“There shouldn’t be a person living anywhere in West Virginia that won’t be able to access coverage,” he said. “That’s how big this is.”
Manchin said the change in areas that are unserved places West Virginia in the top 10 states with increased numbers.
“We’ve been saying that because our maps were so flawed. We proved this to them during speed tests,” he said. “They were going to pay out the money a long time ago. We prevented that from going out until we got accurate maps. West Virginia should take care of every little nook and cranny in our state, which is our goal.”
As part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a total of $65 billion will be available to internet service providers to build the access. According to the FCC website, in June the new maps will be released to those service providers so they can begin preparing their bid proposals.
Manchin didn’t say how much money the state will get for broadband, but noted it is much more expensive to build towers and lines in West Virginia than it is in Ohio or Iowa because of the terrain and access to cover the needed areas.
The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the need for high-speed internet connectivity, and it’s further emphasized the problems with high-speed access.
Starting on May 12, eligible consumers will be able to sign up for temporary discounts on broadband services and on the purchase of laptops, desktop computers, and tablets through the Federal Communications Commission’s $3.2 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit program.
This program will continue until funding runs out or six months after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the pandemic.
Eligible households can receive up to $50 a month. Those living on qualified tribal lands can receive $75 per month. Consumers can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.
To be eligible, one person in the household must be low-income, at or below 135% of the federal poverty level. Or, they may also be participating in assistance programs including SNAP, Medicaid, or Lifeline, and relying on free and reduced-price school meals or have received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year.
Alternatively, consumers who have suffered a large loss in income during the pandemic (due to job loss or furlough since Feb. 29, 2020) are also eligible, providing that the household had a total income in 2020 at or below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers.
Consumers can locate a local internet provider from this list. The benefit is available to eligible new, prior, and existing customers of participating providers. More information is available on the website www.getemergencybroadband.org or by calling (833) 511-0311.
