West Virginia's Digital Equity Timeline

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Round-Up for the Week of February 3-7, 2025

On November 1, 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded the West Virginia Department of Economic Development (WVDED) over $9 million in Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funding to implement the West Virginia Digital Equity Plan. Major activities NTIA is supporting include:

• Launching a Digital Skills program to provide training, education, and online resources,  
• An affordable device program to provide eligible residents with devices, and  
• Funding for local governments to create digital equity plans tailored to the needs of their constituents. 

WVDED provides a full implementation timeline, complete with a slate of key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure progress, in its Digital Equity Plan. 

Implementation Timeline

WVDED's timeline is organized by objectives and strategies, with milestones based on the KPIs. The implementation activities are centered on three goals:

1. Realizing affordable connectivity;
2. Securing device access and affordability; and
3. Elevating digital skills and accessibility of public services.

Objective 1.1: Increase enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program, contingent on the continued funding for the program

Note: Although increasing enrollment in the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program was a top priority in West Virginia's plan, ACP expired in 2024.

Key Strategies

• ACP awareness media campaign under FCC's National Competitive Outreach Program (NCOP) Grant (Q3 2023-Q1 2024)
• Host ACP enrollment events under NCOP grant (Q1 2024-Q3 2024)
• Plan and convene regular monthly stakeholder meetings to boost ACP enrollment and awareness (Q3 2024-Q1 2030)

Milestones

• Q1-Q3 2027: 50 percent progress toward KPI goals
• Q4 2029-Q2 2030: 100 percent progress toward KPI goals
  • KPI Near-term target: Increase enrollment by approximately 50 percent to reach 150,000 households, prioritizing outreach to areas with many households of each covered population under the Digital Equity Program
  • KPI Long-term target: Increase enrollment to reach a total of 68 percent of eligible households covered, or 250,000 households, prioritizing outreach to areas with many households of each covered population under the Digital Equity Program.

Objective 1.2: Coordinate with Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Five-Year Plan

Key Strategies

• BEAD Grant Program design and preparation for application period (Q3 2023-Q2 2024)
• BEAD Grant program pre-application review period and approvals (Q1 2024-Q3 2024)
• BEAD infrastructure deployment and compliance verification (Q2 2024-Q1 2030)
• BEAD Grant Program application period ending in awards (Q3-Q4 2024)

Milestones

• Q4 2026-Q2 2027: 50 percent progress toward KPI goals
• Q4 2029-Q2 2030: 100 percent progress toward KPI goals
  • KPI: Accomplish broadband infrastructure deployment goals included in the Five-Year Action Plan.

Objective 2.1: Create a sustainable program to provide device distribution, lending, and recycling

Key Strategies

• Device program design and preparation for application period (Q1-Q2 2024)
• Device program application review period, ending in awards (Q2-Q3 2024)
• Device program post-award implementation and compliance verification (Q3 2024-Q2 2030)

Milestones

• Q1-Q3 2027: 50 percent KPI goal progress reported in Census
• Q1-Q3 2030: 100 percent progress toward KPI goal reported in Census
  • KPI Near-term target: Increase the number of residents with access to a computing device at home by 10 percent, ensuring approximately proportional increases for each covered population.
  • KPI Long-term target: 95 percent of West Virginias have access to a computing device that can connect to the internet, devices are easier to procure, and device proliferation among covered populations has been significantly increased.

Objectives 2.2 and 3.1: Ensure citizens receive technical assistance for their newly acquired devices (2.2), and make digital literacy training in cybersecurity, privacy, telehealth, and more available to all West Virginians (3.1)

Key Strategies

• Digital Navigator Program design and preparation for application period (Q1-Q2 2024)
• Digital Navigator Program application review period, ending in awards (Q2-Q3 2024)
• Digital Navigator program pot-award implementation, compliance verification (Q3 2024-Q2 2030)
• Conduct digital skills survey periodically to assess KPI (Q1 2023 and Q2-Q3 of every following year)

Milestones

• Q2-Q4 2027: 50 percent progress toward KPI goals
• Q1-Q3 2030: 100 percent progress toward KPI goals
  • KPI Near-term target (2.2): Increase the number of Community Anchor Institutions (CAI) that offer digital navigator programs by 20 percent and ensure at least approximately proportional increases in each covered population
  • KPI Long-term target (2.2): Increase the near-term target by 30 percent and ensure at least approximately proportional increases in each covered population
  • KPI Near-term target (3.1): Increase the percentage of individuals in West Virginia with beginner-level digital skills by 7 percent and ensure approximately
    proportional increases in each covered population.
  • KPI Long-term target (3.1): Ninety-five percent of West Virginias have basic digital skills, can streamline their lives with online services, and can fully take advantage of new opportunities brought about by the BEAD and Digital Equity Programs.

Objective 3.2: Ensure websites and online services hosted by state agencies are accessible for all West Virginians

Key Strategies

• Assessment and guideline planning, publish a request for a partner to conduct an assessment of websites (Q1 2024-Q1 2025)
• Conduct assessment, report results, and create/publish guidelines for accessibility compliance and future reference (Q1-Q2 2025)
• Implement accessibility compliance requirements from Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCGAG) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act––which established accessibility requirements for information and communication technology (ICT)––in all state websites (Q2 2025-Q4 2029)

Milestones

• Q2-Q4 2027: 50 percent of non-compliant sites now compliant
• Q3 2029-Q1 2030: 100 percent of non-compliant sites now compliant
  • KPI Near-term target: Ensure that at least 75 percent of state agency-operated websites are compliant
  • KPI Long-term target: Ensure that 100 percent of state-owned websites are compliant

Envisioning Digital Equity in West Virginia

WVDED's vision of digital equity is to ensure all West Virginians have the resources they need to participate in the digital world and achieve the numerous benefits of digital equity. Through the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, new federal broadband investments will propel West Virginia forward in connecting all of its residents. Together, the BEAD and Digital Equity Act Grant Programs will bring quality broadband service to underserved residents and empower everyone to access essential services, civic and cultural participation, employment, and lifelong learning.

Additional Coverage on West Virginia's Broadband Priorities

• West Virginia's Plan to Conquer the Digital Divide

• Capital Projects Fund Aids West Virginia's Billion Dollar Broadband Strategy

See the latest West Virginia broadband news

More in this Series

• When Will Nevada Implement Its Digital Equity Plan?
• Michigan Is on the Road to Closing the Digital Divide by 2030
• California Takes Steps Towards Digital Equity
• Digital Equity Funding Boosts Innovative Connectivity in Indiana
• Connecting Georgians with Digital Equity Capacity Funds
• Digital Equity Capacity in New Mexico
• Every Connecticuter Connected With Capacity Funds
• Securing Minnesota's Future with Digital Equity Capacity Funds
• ConnectingALL with Digital Equity Capacity Grant in New York
• Linking Alabama to Broadband With a Digital Equity Capacity Grant

Quick Bits

• Commerce Committee Approves 17 Bipartisan Bills and Advances Lutnick Nomination To Lead Commerce Department
• Senate Receives Nomination of Arielle Roth to Lead NTIA
• Elon Musk’s X Becomes Weapon in Government Cost Cutting
• California Public Utilities Commission Continues to Help Close Digital Divide Through Broadband Grants Across California

Weekend Reads

• Schools Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition Policy Platform 2025
• Snapshot: Affordable Connectivity Program
• Federal Universal Service Support Mechanisms Fund Size Projections for Second Quarter 2025
• National Verifier Annual Report and Data

ICYMI from Benton

• Seattle’s Equity-Based Approach to Digital Inclusion
• BEAD’s Groundhog Day Moment
• Black Churches 4 Digital Equity: Community Anchors and Committed Advocates
• The Broadband Priorities of Senate Commerce Democrats

Upcoming Events

Feb 11––State of the Net Conference 2025 (Internet Education Foundation)

Feb 13-14––NTIA Grantee Workshop: Atlanta (NTIA)

Feb 20––Honoring Broadband Pioneers: From the Digital Divide to Digital Opportunity (NTIA)

Feb 25––The Attention Economy: Monopolizing Kids’ Time Online (FTC)

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