November 30th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

Delegate Daniel Linville, R-Cabell; Senator Robert Plymale, D-Wayne; and leaders of the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council today announced the creation of a new statewide broadband internet availability map.

 

The new, highly detailed West Virginia Broadband Availability map will allow lawmakers at the state and federal levels to identify unserved and underserved areas of the state and direct broadband expansion efforts – including financial resources and expansion programs – to those communities.

 

“Previous broadband availability maps – such as those provided by the FCC – relied on information from carriers and used the speeds they were advertising in an area, not the speeds actually received by consumers,” Delegate Linville said. “Our first-of-its-kind map instead uses actual speed data from consumers, and the result is now the most accurate, detailed map of where broadband is and is not in the state of West Virginia.”

 

With financial support from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the West Virginia Department of Commerce and state Development Office’s Office of Broadband, the most detailed mapping of the state of West Virginia’s broadband internet availability was recently completed.

 

Utilizing hundreds of thousands of broadband internet speed tests taken by West Virginians since the beginning of 2020, this interactive map is likely the most accurate and detailed such map in the nation.