CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Mitch Carmichael, the Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Economic Development says the recent $1 billion broadband announcement should have an ‘immediate impact’ on West Virginians.
On Wednesday, Gov. Jim Justice, Carmichael and a handful of other members on the West Virginia Department of Economic Development held a roundtable on broadband strategy moving forward following the major announcement Oct. 15.
Justice announced last week the state will use $1 billion in state and federal funds in the months to come to expand broadband to some 200,000 homes and businesses.
“You’ll start to see an immediate impact with some of the programs that are in place. There are various programs that are incorporated into this entire aggregate of $1 billion. It’ll be very shortly,” Carmichael explained Wednesday.
The money will be funneled through a pair of federal/state initiatives including the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund through the FCC and the West Virginia Broadband Initiative that will be operated through the state Office of Broadband and Broadband Council using mostly federal pandemic relief money, Justice said during the Oct. 15 announcement.
The state program will include the Line Extension Advancement and Development (LEAD) initiative that will award grants to existing fiber and cable networks; the GigReady initiative where the state will provide matching funds with federal funds local governments have received to expand broadband; the Major Broadband Project Strategies (MBPS) that will focus on large-scale multicounty projects; and the Wireless Internet Networks (WIN) that will use $10 million in state revenue to expand and improve existing wireless internet networks.
The West Virginia Development Office laid out an estimated timeframe for the program roll-out. The LEAD program will take applications in multiple rounds through the end of January 2022 with funding decisions late this year through early 2022.
GigReady applications are on a rolling basis through the end of January 2022. Funding decisions will be made in multiple rounds starting in early 2022 through fall 2022. MBPS applications will happen in one round due by the end of January 2022 with decisions made by early 2022.
WIN program applications are in multiple rounds, following the roll-out of other programs.
VIEW: WVARPA Grant Programs Office of Economic Development
Carmichael’s office also detailed the evaluation criteria split into three categories including technical operation, financial resilience and broadband development impact.
Carmichael said those without internet will be the target.
“You can look at the exact maps that say where the underfunded exists in West Virginia and those are the areas that will be the target for this program,” he said.
Carmichael also addressed monitoring and oversight of the programs.
“We’ve put an oversight and monitoring evaluation criteria in place that is scored independently by separate consultants that we are working with to ensure that these commitment of funds and turning up broadband is fulfilled by the provider,” Carmichael said.
Justice said $718 million in state and federal funding is expected to be allocated by fall 2022.
Other members of the Department of Economic Development, Broadband Office included Kelly Collins Workman, the director, Vic Sprouse and Jamie H. Hoffmann, the GIS Coordinator.
“There’s no way we are going to go across the finish line here unless we all pull the rope together,” Justice said Wednesday.