Download error: West Virginia lagging behind in broadband, internet service For too long, West Virginia has lagged behind other states when it comes to accessible computer technology and infrastructure. We’ve been offered excuses about our state being too mountainous for improving conditions here. But it’s not the state’s rugged terrain holding us back. Those tasked with assessing our technological needs have consistently dropped the ball, including everything from wasting millions of dollars of federal stimulus money on oversized routers to disbanding the Broadband Deployment Council. According to reporting by the Gazette’s Eric Eyre, the Council often had statewide disinterest that resulted in unused grant funding and a denial from the Legislature for more money this year. However, the Council was the only group researching internet speeds in West Virginia. These examples are just a few reasons why the state faces a monopoly of technological services by Frontier. Although a few areas of the state have a choice of service providers, most are stuck with whatever Frontier decides is enough. And not only do I receive complaints about their service, there are multiple grievances about how they bill their customers. We can, and must, do more to create competition to drive the quality of services up and drive costs down. As a representative of a rural area of the state, I am now getting as many calls about suboptimal internet and technology services as I do about roads and transportation infrastructure. I encourage folks to contact the Office of the West Virginia Attorney General with any complaints about shoddy internet service. His office is aware of the problem. But your voice can bring more attention to the issue. His office can be reached at ago.wv.gov/ or (304) 558-8986. These technology woes go beyond just the individual consumer. How can we expect our students and schools to excel without access to high speed internet? How can our local businesses compete in today’s world without it? Without a connection to the world beyond the farmhouse, they can’t. This is not a Republican or Democrat issue. This is a West Virginia issue. And we need to catch up to other states in the 21st century.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 02:33:54 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015