Groundbreaking held on Facebook plan to expand W.Va. broadband internet

BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) -- A groundbreaking has been held on Facebook's plan to expand broadband internet in West Virginia. 

Gov. Jim Justice, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and others attended a ceremony Monday in Beckley. 

Facebook is building a fiber optic cable network in a portion of West Virginia through a subsidiary, Middle Mile Infrastructure. The New River Project is part of the company's larger efforts to install cable from Virginia to Ohio through the Kanawha Valley. 

The governor's office says in a news release that full-scale work on the 275-mile project is expected to begin within the next 10 to 16 months. It will start in Ashburn, Virginia, and is expected to take up to two years to complete. 

The project will enable broadband providers to expand networks into communities along the route.