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Morrisey announces ARPA broadband funding for 10 county projects

(Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection - Online News)

CHARLESTON — Several broadband expansion projects spanning 10 counties in West Virginia will receive an infusion of federal funding.

In a press release Thursday, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced that more than $34 million in funding through the $1.9 trillion federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) would be awarded to five internet service providers for projects across the state.

Morrisey said this new round of broadband funding will help install approximately 362 miles of fiber broadband to 2,897 locations.

“Expanding broadband access is essential to the future of West Virginia, and these projects represent a major step forward in connecting communities across the state,” Morrisey said in a statement Thursday.

Projects being funded include: $2.8 million to Citynet for projects in Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, and Lewis counties; $7.7 million to Comcast for projects in Jackson, Mason, and Putnam counties; $10.3 million to Digital Connections Inc. (Prodigi) for a Preston County project; $9.9 million to Spruce Knob Seneca Rocks Telephone for a project in Pendleton County; and $3.8 million to Micrologic for a project in Grant County.

The funding is coming from two different ARPA funds: the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund and the Capital Projects Fund. According to the U.S. Treasury, more than $136 million of $10 billion in ARPA funds was allocated to West Virginia, with the state being approved to spend the full amount. The funding is meant to expand high-speed broadband to 20,000 locations, or 10% of locations in the state that lack access to broadband.

The funds are managed by the Office of Broadband within the Department of Commerce through the Line Extension Advancement and Development (LEAD) program. The LEAD program works with internet service providers to expand existing network line extensions to unserved and underserved parts of the state. The program is part of the West Virginia Broadband Investment Plan.

The LEAD program focuses on “Targeted addresses,” defined as “those with no current

access to internet service with at least 25 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 3 Mbps upload (25/3Mbps), and not in an area with an existing state, federal, or locally funded project to deliver mass-market broadband service of at least 25/3 Mbps.”

West Virginia was on the verge of a major broadband expansion project before being paused by Morrisey as the incoming administration of President Donald Trump began reviewing broadband funding through the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program – established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) – allocated more than $42 billion to expand high-speed broadband access across the United States.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved West Virginia’s Volume II Initial Proposal for the BEAD program in April 2024, becoming one of the first three states to have their initial proposals approved. West Virginia was awarded $1.2 billion through the BEAD program in June 2023. The BEAD final proposals were due on April 18.

Morrisey announced in March that West Virginia was granted a 90-day extension to submit the state’s final BEAD grant proposal. NTIA released its updated BEAD guidance at the beginning of June, setting new deadlines and requirements for states to update their BEAD applications.

“We have been anticipating the new guidelines from the Trump administration and are ready to move quickly to secure BEAD funding,” Morrisey said in a June 13 statement. “These funds are critical to West Virginia and our efforts to provide fast, reliable broadband access across the state.”

Key changes from prior guidance include removing specific mandates related to labor practices, climate change, open access, and affordability plans. The updated program also now emphasizes a technology-neutral approach to funding, allowing various broadband technologies to compete on an equal footing for subgrants, and introduces a “Benefit of the Bargain Round” to ensure competitive selection and optimal use of taxpayer funds.

The notice also details updates to eligible locations, non-deployment funding, permitting processes, and the modification procedures for proposals to align with these new directives, including specific guidelines for unlicensed fixed wireless and low Earth orbit (LEO) capacity subgrants.

Changes include a mandatory correction to initial state proposals within 30 days; a re-evaluation of target locations, primarily involving the removal of already served areas or those served by compliant unlicensed fixed wireless; and a new deadline for final proposals within 90 days.

Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com.

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