High-Speed, High Priority
“We must establish as a goal that by 2030,
West Virginia will be fully connected and
its citizens will enjoy high employment
in addition to living in a great state. We
should position the state for the information
age—perhaps it could become a storage
and backup data center for the world.
After all, the state was chosen to hold the
second White House.”
Because rural communities are disproportionately affected by
a lack of high-speed internet, Yassini says the state must start
with a variety of ideas in order to find the one that best fits its
needs. “Lead with the technology that provides the connectivity at the lowest cost,” he says. “Lead with public-private partnerships to demonstrate the value of broadband to businesses.
Lead with executive level meetings with the CEOs of service
providers, the West Virginia governor and key legislative leaders.
Lead with positive cases by starting a competition to connect
one small village and then grow by example.”
Because of his passion for West Virginia, Yassini insists the
state must start making affordable broadband its highest priority
in order to help communities and the state government.
“We must establish as a goal that by 2030, West Virginia
will be fully connected and its citizens will enjoy high employment in addition to living in a great state,” he says. “We should
position the state for the information age—perhaps it could
become a storage and backup data center for the world. After
all, the state was chosen to hold the second White House.”
Today, Yassini continues to work to provide quality, high-speed
connectivity to people all over the world. When he is not working,
he still enjoys visiting Morgantown several times a year, and he
has faith in what West Virginia is capable of based on what he sees
there. “Broadband allows us connectivity 24 hours a day, seven days
a week, 365 days a year to communicate, get our news, make our
doctor’s appointments, perform our daily jobs and build a global
community. Morgantown serves as my model of how a global
community can be built and connected while still feeling local.”
www.wvexecutive.com
summer 2016
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