Local Officials in West Virginia Want Fiber, not Satellite, from BEAD

Local officials in West Virginia are sending a message about the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program: They want money to deploy fiber and do not want to settle for satellite Internet service like Elon Musk’s Starlink. In an April 18 letter to Governor Patrick Morrisey (R-WV) all three members of the Grant County Commission said fiber better aligned with the county’s unique geography, socioeconomic needs, and long-term development goals. “It is evident that fiber-to-the-home provides a more sustainable, equitable and high-performance option for our community,” Commission President Kevin Hagerty said, along with Commissioners Scotty Miley and Tyson Riggleman. The commission cited the superior reliability and performance of fiber-to-the-home technology and noted that these qualities made fiber a better long-term investment for the county. They also pointed to the state’s goals of promoting local economic development and attracting data centers, which require fiber connections, as reasoning behind building out fiber over satellite services.