The much-anticipated map of West Virginia's broadband coverage developed by the Connect West Virginia organization, a subsidiary non-profit group of Connected Nation, in partnership with the state's telecommunications vendors and with leadership from the Governor's Office and volunteers, is now available. For the first time, many folks around the state can get a good idea of how connected (or, in many cases, disconnected) their county really is. This shines a light onto what kind of focused effort it will take for Governor Manchin's goal of 100% connectivity across West Virginia by 2010 to become a reality.
As expected, most "urban" areas of West Virginia show extensive coverage. However, many rural counties have nowhere near the accessibility to DSL or cable broadband that today's 21st Century economy demands. There are some oddities as well. For example, Calhoun County, a very rural county in Central WV, shows extensive coverage, while neighboring Gilmer County, home of Glenville State College and one of the two counties in the "Gilmer-Braxton Technology Research" zone, shows barely any coverage outside of Glenville.
One of the most important elements of the interactive map available on the Connect West Virginia site is the opportunity to provide feedback. We encourage everyone across the state to share their concerns and desire for better coverage so that telecom vendors can step up and fill the demand. With no concerted voice regarding demand for these services, vendors tend to be slow in applying investment to rural areas.
Another concern expressed by many is the standard definition of "broadband," which in the case of this study is 600kbps. While this is one of the higher standards in the United States, other countries such as Japan (155 Mbps) have far higher goals in terms of speed for their citizens. The faster the information pipe, the more likely that rich Internet video applications (including interactive television services) can be delivered. For example, at 600 Kbps, we won't see fiber optic services video on demand or IP-based television could be delivered as a competitor to cable services.
For anyone who doubts the economic impact of ubiquitous broadband availability (including at higher speeds), you may want to review Connected Nation's economic impact study. “The Economic Impact of Stimulating Broadband Nationally” details the potential state-by-state impact of legislation to accelerate broadband access and use. The report’s findings suggest that the U.S. could realize an economic impact of $134 billion annually by accelerating broadband availability and use across all states. West Virginia's projected impact would be $616M, which includes $398M in direct income growth.
Truly high-speed broadband service is today's equivalent of roads and bridges in the Industrial Age. For West Virginia to have hope in gaining ground on our peer states in the New Economy, we must keep the pressure on for investment in this area. As the U.S. Department of Commerce stated in its 2004 report "A Nation Online: Entering the Broadband Age" stated, "With high-speed connections, American workers can find jobs; small businesses can have global markets; rural doctors can consult with specialists; and students can take classes that are taught from across the country."
The Communications Workers Of America are working towards many of the same goals. We believe all Americans should have access to affordable high speed Internet. The economy of our rural communities depends on it. Check out our website at www.speedmatters.org
There is also an interactive map that lets you check Internet speeds state-by-state down to the zip code level. http://www.speedmatters.org/pages/state.html
Posted by: Roger Osburne | April 18, 2008 at 12:12 PM