TPMA today announced it has signed on with the West Virginia Department of Economic Development’s Office of Broadband as their strategic consultant to conduct, report, and visualize findings of a statewide survey of broadband availability, affordability, and use to support the State’s digital equity planning initiatives. This is an important milestone for the office as it strives to bring high speed internet to all West Virginians.
“The State of West Virginia is completely committed to all residents having strong, reliable broadband access, and there is a strong, passionate network of partners across the state that have been walking alongside the State of West Virginia in this effort. It has been very rewarding to play a role in helping leadership understand the needs of residents across the State, and we know great, executable plans will come out of this process” says Cecilia Harry, Director of Economic Development at TPMA.
The West Virginia Broadband Survey is a collaborative effort of partners including the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council, Marshall University Center for Business and Economic Research (MU CBER), West Virginia University, StartUp West Virginia, West Virginia Library Commission, West Virginia Regional Planning and Development Councils, the West Virginia Economic Development Council, and many additional partners who share a commitment to the expansion of broadband in West Virginia.
A rigorous discovery phase and survey design has been underway for weeks, and the survey closed on July 31st with more than 2000 responses. Specifically, the findings will support the state’s Broadband, Equity, Affordability, and Deployment (BEAD) efforts. Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, BEAD is a federal grant program that aims to get all Americans online by funding partnerships between states or territories, communities, and stakeholders to build infrastructure where we need it to and increase adoption of high-speed internet. BEAD prioritizes unserved locations that have no internet access or that only have access under 25/3 Mbps and underserved locations only have access under 100/20 Mbps.
The analysis is set to conclude in September 2023. For more information on this initiative, contact Steven Gause, Director of Strategy and Growth Initiatives, at sgause@tpma-inc.com.