WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), announced funding from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to support efforts that will work to increase the number of certified technicians to help expand broadband service in West Virginia.

This funding, which was secured through a Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) request made by Senator Capito, will be used to develop the Broadband Technician Training program, which helps expand the broadband technician workforce in the state.

“Connecting West Virginia to reliable broadband through my Capito Connect program has been a priority for me since I came to the Senate. It’s great to see resources I personally advocate for reach West Virginia that will help educate the next generation of broadband technicians that will build out our state’s internet infrastructure,” Ranking Member Capito said. “After announcing $1.2 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for broadband deployment in West Virginia in June, these future technicians will have great employment opportunities and be a critical resource as we grow our state’s broadband capabilities in the coming years.”

Individual CDS award details listed below:

  • $604,000 in DOL CDS funding to ConnecTrain Corp (Charleston, W.Va.) to develop the Broadband Technician Training program, which will help diversify the region's economy by educating unemployed workers, including many from coal-dependent or coal-impacted industries, with in-demand technical skills needed by broadband companies throughout the state.

A list of Senator Capito’s recent broadband efforts can be found below:

Senator Capito, a lead negotiator of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), secured funding for broadband deployment in West Virginia in the final bill.

In June, Senator Capito announced that West Virginia would receive more than $1.2 billion through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program in the IIJA to deploy high-speed internet networks across the state, the largest broadband investment in the state’s history.

In July, Senator Capito hosted Alan Davidson, head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and key U.S. broadband official, in Charleston, W.Va. for a series of meetings focused on the state’s current broadband capacities and needs.

A full timeline of Senator Capito’s broadband mapping efforts for West Virginia can be found here.

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