Sen. Chris Walters, R-Putnam, has introduced a bill that would "create a fiber-(optic) highway," especially in rural areas. Walters said southern West Virginia would benefit from the bill because reclaimed strip mines where there is flat land available could have data centers which could directly connect to the fiber.
Companies like Frontier Communications haven't built the "middle mile" of Internet infrastructure in rural areas because it's "expensive and the return on investment just isn't there," according to Walters.
The senator blames that on the state's steep, mountainous topography. And that, he said, is why state government should get involved.
"As a government, we need to build the infrastructure and let private companies have access to it and use it to get (it) to our citizens," Walters said. "That's what we're doing."
Walters said the state would form a "private-public partnership" with WVNET, a Morgantown-area company that provides high-speed Internet, web hosting and digital backup.
He may see some resistance to his bill, and from his own party. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Carmichael, R-Putnam, and Senate Majority Whip Daniel Hall, R-Wyoming, are both Frontier employees. Neither were available for comment on the bill Tuesday evening.
Frontier has built the B-TOP, the Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program, that brought high-speed Internet to libraries, courthouses and fire departments in the state.
Walters is hopeful that the numbers make the difference, even with likely opposition from Frontier and cable television providers.
The Federal Communications Commission recently reported that nearly 56 percent of state residents don't have access to broadband; that number rises to 74 percent in rural areas.
According to a West Virginia State University study, in the first year, the state would have to invest $78 million. The return on that investment would be 4,000 jobs and a total increase in gross domestic product of more than $900 million from the 2,600 miles of fiber-optic constructed.
Walters said he is still working on how to float bonds to pay for the upfront costs. The bonds would be paid off over 30 years, he said.
The bill will be discussed in the Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure this morning. Walters is chair of the committee.
©2015 The Register-Herald (Beckley, W.Va.)
