Rural areas of the country, especially in WV, have less access to internet. MORE THAN 31% OF RURAL AMERICANS DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO IN-HOME BROADBAND, COMPARED TO ONLY 4% OF URBAN AMERICANS—but it’s worse in WV. NEARLY HALF OF RURAL WEST VIRGINIANS–AND ABOUT 30% OF WEST VIRGINIANS OVERALL–DON’T HAVE ACCESS TO BROADBAND at home. That has to change—and we can change it.
Expand Access to Public Digital Infrastructure (PDI)
Here are the things we’re going to do at the federal level to build a public digital infrastructure so all West Virginians and folks across the country have an equal opportunity to access remote work, education, or build their small businesses
- I’ll advocate for a change in federal grant procedures where a Census district is categorized as “served” by high speed Internet if a single individual in the district is served. This loophole essentially “cooks the books,” and is being used to contest the awarding of grants to co-ops trying to build networks in seriously under-served areas.
- I’ll assure federal grants are designed to increase help addressing the “homework gap” (West Virginia has one of the lowest internet connectivity rates among students, with between 30 and 50% of K-12 students without access at home.)
- I’ll work to ensure all schools, libraries, hospitals and other essential community facilities are connected equitably and affordably by expanding the E-Rate as well as rural health support programs.
- I’ll choose the side of workers by conditioning grants on strong labor, wage, and sourcing standards. We need to ensure that federal funding goes toward creating good-paying union jobs and that federally funded projects cannot subcontract work to evade labor law.
- Additionally, because where federal aid goes, there the vultures follow, I’ll ensure funding for fraud detection and investigation is included so working families don’t get cheated by companies who run fiber to unused buildings, as has happened before in WV. Executives must be held legally accountable.
Public Digital Infrastructure Supports Jobs and Small Businesses
No more charging West Virginians for internet service they can’t use, or can’t rely on. Students without access fall behind. Businesses without access lose money. Rural workers without access are limited to long commutes or low-paying jobs in the immediate area—and workers without the money to make purchases can’t support local businesses. Remote work increases consumer demand in remote areas.
- I’ll help unconnected or erratically-connected small businesses—nearly 40% of WV small businesses report having inadequate internet service—by making certain that federal aid for broadband expansion requires focusing first on reaching areas where internet service is poorest or nonexistent, and that there are requirements to show progress in repairing or expanding service. I’ll fight to attract higher paying jobs and economic development to coal- and frack-impacted areas by expanding remote work opportunities. Sustainable digital technologies can play a critical role in supporting efficient, resilient, and decarbonized systems. Building the infrastructure for that can be a part of providing a just transition for workers.
- I’ll push to eliminate ISP-landlord brokered deals for services, in which ISPs and landlords team up to profit by forcing renters to use a specific ISP
- I’ll work in the Senate to advocate improving service across the board.
- Increase the National Broadband Standard from 25 Mbps to 100 Mbps download speed and from a 3 Mbps to a 10 Mbps upload speed. The current standards are hardly enough for our digital world and that was before COVID stretched our broadband capabilities beyond their maximum.
- End data caps and overage fees. Major ISPs suspended these practices for a few months at the beginning of the COVID pandemic but have since resumed them, forcing Americans to either purchase larger internet service plans or pay the overage fees. With a PDI, data caps and overage fees will be a thing of the past.
- Protect Net Neutrality and continue the ban on “fast lanes.”
- Provide low-cost internet to any American making under their states’ median income per year (this provides people with $9.95 internet service) by expanding the “Lifeline” Program.
- Provide free internet access to anyone living primarily on Social Security, a Veteran’s Pension, or Disability Benefits.
