U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Kelly Workman, director of West Virginia’s Office of Broadband, are right to keep up the pressure on federal officials over the pace of their review of grant funding for high-speed broadband.
“As we have discussed, I am concerned that West Virginia may be told to move back from the 1-yard line to the 40-yard line after the review concludes,” Capito wrote in a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “I urge you to expedite not only the review and release of updated guidance but the program as a whole.”
The program to which Capito refers is the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, which was supposed to provide “$42.45 billion to expand high-speed Internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs,” according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
Remember, the Mountain State was WAY ahead of the game in dotting its Is and crossing its Ts to receive some of that funding to bring an essential utility to as many residents as possible. We were one of the first states to complete the BEAD challenge process and secure NTIA approval of its challenge results, and one of the first three states to open its BEAD subgrantee selection process last August. According to Workman, throughout the process, the state has successfully completed all program requirements.
“We were six weeks away from having our application approved so we could begin the work to get these broadband connections to everybody. I’m very frustrated,” Capito said. “West Virginia is ready to go. We’ve been ready to go. We’ve been a leader here. I want to see the money coming to our state.”
There is a risk now that the hard work of those in West Virginia who have been so diligent will be for nothing. The federal delay will, at best, allow other states to catch up and crowd the field if/once funds are available.
As was the case when sweeping efforts by those in previous administrations undercut the quality of life here in West Virginia, there is a danger that overzealous federal officials now are doing more harm than good as they try to tackle fraud, waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars and trust — all at once and in an extreme manner.
“West Virginians have waited long enough, and I hope with your leadership they will soon have broadband access and this will be President (Donald) Trump and your greatest accomplishment for rural America,” Capito told Lutnick.
She and the rest of our delegation in Washington, D.C., must be relentless in fulfilling their obligation to serve US.