A coalition that includes the youth-driven Generation WV and AARP West Virginia — an organization that serves people age 50 and over — is urging Gov. Jim Justice to quickly sign into law a piece of legislation that will allow the establishment of the same type of cooperatives that were used 80 years to build out the nation's electrical grid. But the cooperatives envisioned by House Bill 3093 will open the door for development of broadband infrastructure, connecting the rural state not just to the rest of America, but to the world, proponents say.
Representatives of the coalition presented the case for HB 3093 — which passed both houses of the Legislature with minimal opposition — to a near-capacity crowd in the council chamber of Lewisburg City Hall Monday evening.
"Broadband is not a one size fits all problem, and there's not a one size fits all solution," cautioned Natalie Roper, executive director of Generation WV.
What HB 3093 can do, she said, is allow new people and new businesses to partner with each other and with local government entities to find solutions that will work in specific communities.
In addition to lowering existing barriers that prevent the formation of such cooperatives, the bill was amended before passage to include a loan insurance program that will be administered by the West Virginia Economic Development Authority (EDA), noted Tom Hunter, associate state director for communications with AARP. With the EDA backing up to 80 percent of the cost of a broadband project, bank financing should be much easier to secure, he said.
"This is a way to support the little guys," Hunter added.
Robert Hinton, chairman of the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council, which will undertake mapping the state's existing broadband infrastructure under the authority of HB 3093, the state needs to aim high when it comes to moving up from the bottom rungs of the Internet ladder.
"We need to shoot for gig or better," Hinton said, referring to Internet service with speeds up to a gigabit — 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps) — compared to the average U.S. connection speed of 11.5 Mbps. Hinton calls that target "gig-ready West Virginia."
He said aiming lower will not put the Mountain State in a competitive position with other states, many of which are already moving toward the gigabit standard.
"It sends a message outside of West Virginia... that we are focused on broadband," Hinton said, noting that the perception of West Virginia by out-of-state people needs to be improved.
"House Bill 3093 is not the last thing we need to do; it's the first step," he said.
Hunter and Roper described several ways in which faster, more accessible Internet service could help the average West Virginian.
Speaking for his older constituency, Hunter said more widespread broadband could help ameliorate the isolation that often plagues older residents in rural areas by providing electronic connectivity with friends and family and other resources. Also, he said, better health care opportunities could be provided through the latest telemedicine technology, allowing distant specialists to consult with local doctors, for example.
Roper addressed the broadband expectations of "millennials" — generally defined as people born after 1980 and before 2000. More than half of that generation want to start their own business and create their own job, she said. But even millennials who prefer to work for others find West Virginia's employment prospects dismal, and part of the reason jobs are scarce is that modern businesses can't locate where true high-speed Internet is unavailable.
Bolstering that assertion, Lewisburg Mayor John Manchester said local entrepreneurs have had to relocate because Lewisburg didn't have broadband service that was sufficient for their businesses to operate.
"That crushes me," he said. "That goes against all that we're about in this town."
Although it gained lawmakers' approval on the final day of this year's legislative session, HB 3093 is not yet in the governor's hands, organizers of Monday's forum said. But they urged the people attending the meeting to go ahead now and personally contact Justice's office, going on record as supporting the broadband measure.
©2017 The Register-Herald (Beckley, W.Va.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
