In our technology driven world, accessible broadband internet is a necessity for education, work, and a connection to the rest of the world. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for broadband internet has only increased, but not every state has kept up with the high demand.
Eighty-six percent U.S. states have seen at least a slight increase in internet speeds over the past eight months; West Virginia is not one of them. WhistleOut, an international internet and cellphone analysis company, states that West Virginia has had the greatest decrease in internet speeds going down by 13%. To put this is in perspective, Wyoming, the state with the greatest increase, saw a 52% rise. West Virginia already has connectivity issues statewide, so a decrease in speeds when people need it the most is a huge problem.
The qualifications for internet to be broadband is for the speed to be 25 Mbps, which only supports two to four devices using standard internet activity. The places in West Virginia that do qualify for broadband often only meet the minimum requirements, so even when people do have broadband, it can be very slow, making daily tasks that need a reliable internet connection tedious.
Some internet providers that claim to have broadband will be slower than advertised. For example, in Hico, HughesNet advertises internet speeds of 25 Mbps but when tested on speedtest.net, HughesNet only has speeds of about 3 Mbps.
According to Broadbandnow.com, West Virginia is currently 44th in the country for broadband internet access with 403,000 citizens not having any access to broadband internet. Along with this, only 15.3% of the state has access to more than three providers.
Having limited providers becomes an issue in a lot of towns. The providers don’t feel pressured to improve their speeds because they don’t have any competition in most areas. Small, rural towns have slow, expensive internet that often can’t support a whole family trying to use it, especially during virtual school.
Ivree Willis, of Hico, states, “Right now only two internet providers will even come to our house: HughesNet and Frontier. Frontier has a long history of being slow in Hico. My mother has it, and the network can barely support two devices at once. Our family has HughesNet, which doesn’t work much better than Frontier, if better at all.”
There are more internet providers that claim to come to Hico’s zip code, but Ivree says when she tried to get internet through them, they wouldn’t come to her house.
The reason most states have seen an increase in internet speeds is because networks have felt pressured to keep up with the influx in internet use. Without the competition, most of West Virginia has failed to keep up. West Virginia technically has eighty-one providers throughout the state, but most of these providers are only available in major cities.
The problem with internet in West Virginia is not only the number of providers, but the reliability of internet that people do have accesses to. In these uncertain times, where students may not know when they’ll be suddenly put into online school, reliable internet is a must for education. Even if someone technically has broadband internet, the actual speed of the internet may never reach 25 Mbps.
“Surprisingly, we do have access to broadband where we live, but along with only having one provider available, the internet we do have is slow and sometimes doesn’t work at all.” states Rosie Moore, of Rich Creek, “When more than one device gets on, it significantly slows down, and even then, sometimes one device barely works.”
Lydia Harell, of Edmond, says, “Our internet has been very spotty over the years. When it’s working, it can hold maybe a couple of devices. Often it will break for months at a time, and it takes forever for the Frontier workers to come out to our house and fix it. If it were to break right now, no one in my house would be able to successfully do their online school.”
The unreliable, slow internet all throughout West Virginia has been a problem for a long time now, but with the increasing number of activities being moved online, it becomes a bigger issue. Kids all around the state are struggling in school because their internet doesn’t support Zoom calls, or they don’t have access at all.
Those who don’t have access are asked to go to Wi-Fi hotspots, but some families don’t feel comfortable sending their children to them due to safety concerns.
A common misconception is that broadband internet is just unable to be installed in some geographical areas. It’s a justified concern. It costs a lot more to install in difficult terrains, but it’s not nearly impossible; the issue comes down to money.
Based on the U.S. Census data on households with broadband, the only “mountain states” that are in the bottom percentage include: West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. There are several states in the top percentage that are full of mountains and rugged terrain for example: Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado are all in the top percentage of households with broadband internet. The geographical digital divide is a significant divide between rural and urban communities.
The rural population of the U.S. is disconnected from broadband internet because providers cannot make a significant profit from setting up broadband in these areas. In the U.S., 19% of people live in urban areas, but in West Virginia 62% of the population live in rural areas, meaning if broadband doesn’t reach rural communities, it doesn’t reach West Virginia.
Something is being done about the digital divide though. West Virginia currently has a Broadband Enhancement Council. The council was formed by the Department of Commerce, and according to broadband.wv.gov, it’s designed to “represent diverse users of broadband, including residential and business users, from various locations throughout the state.” The council works to shrink the geographical digital divide. They have public meetings once a week where residents from all around West Virginia can voice their concerns and get updated on progress.
Because of this year’s increase in internet traffic, the issue of broadband has been getting a lot more attention. Programs are being put in place to try and offer more affordable internet and the Broadband Internet Council is working to provide broadband across the state. It may not seem like it, but progress is being made in West Virginia.
In September, Governor Jim Justice announced a 776-million-dollar project to connect over 100,000 homes in the next ten years.
Sen. Shelly Capito, R-WV, has been working to improve broadband in West Virginia since 2015 when she announced her Capito Connect Plan. Since then, she has been a leader in improving broadband internet throughout West Virginia. Capito has gone all around West Virginia to discuss the importance of broadband internet for everyone.
“High-speed internet service is essential in the 21st century,” says Capito in a meeting with the Berkley County Council. Thanks to her Capito Connect initiative in 2015, the USDA has awarded over $45 million in grants to West Virginia.
Recently, Sen. Capito and Sen. Joe Machin, D-WV, have worked together to introduce the Eliminating Barriers to Rural Internet Development Grant Eligibility (E-BRIDGE) Act. This bill would eliminate the barriers limiting West Virginias eligibility for EDA grants. With this bill and Governors Jim Justice’s project, reliable broadband across the state could finally be a reality in the future.