West Virginia is expected to submit its final proposal to receive federal grant money for projects to improve access to broadband internet in August.
Last week, the state was granted a 90-day extension to submit its final proposal to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said.
The BEAD program is a partnership between the federal government and states to get all Americans online by building the infrastructure necessary to increase the adoption of high-speed internet.
BEAD is a $42.45 billion grant program authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. West Virginia is eligible to receive up to $1.2 billion of the program’s funding. The program was put on pause in anticipation of a “rigorous review” by the U.S. Department of Commerce earlier this month.
The state said it was using the extra time to ensure the proposal is completed in a way that aligns with changes to the program that took effect following the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
The state has previously submitted two preliminary proposals.
West Virginia’s initial proposal, or Volume I, was submitted in November 2023 and approved Jan. 29, 2024. Volume I outlined the state’s process for executing a challenge process, through which units of local government, nonprofit organizations and broadband service providers can challenge whether a location should be eligible for BEAD funding.
Volume II, submitted in December 2023, addressed key elements of the state’s BEAD implementation plan. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration gave approval for West Virginia’s Volume II proposal in May 2024.
States have 12 months from the time of their Volume II approval to submit their final proposal. West Virginia’s deadline for the final proposal was extended to August.
The extension will give West Virginia the opportunity to focus on how BEAD funding can be most efficiently invested and most effectively leveraged to advance the state’s broader economic development goals, including attracting investment from AI hubs, microgrids and data centers, the state said.
State officials said evaluating a broader range of technology options will help West Virginia maximize the coverage of high-speed internet.
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