“Service providers can work with a bank, and then the state
can come in and provide loan insurance or a guarantee that will
be 80 or 90 percent of that loan and mitigate the bank’s risk
tremendously,” says Hinton. “The state’s risk is mitigated as
well. It’s a really good package deal for broadband expansion.”
The first project from the program is taking place in Preston
County. Digital Connections, a competitive local exchange car-
rier based out of Hazelton and Morgantown, has been approved
to move forward with a fiber-to-the-home infrastructure build
called PRODIGI in Bruceton Mills. Digital Connections pro-
vides telecom services in West Virginia, Maryland and Ohio.
“The loan insurance program has been very beneficial,” says
Tim Wotring, vice president and co-owner of Digital Connec-
tions. “Working with my community bank, Clear Mountain
Bank, we were able to secure the loan insurance on funding
that enabled us to continue building fiber in our rural commu-
nities. As a result, we are actively expanding our fiber network
into Terra Alta, Alpine Lake Resort and additional builds in
the Bruceton Mills community.”
Broadband Development Training
Another challenge to increasing broadband access across
the state is educating the public about the technical aspects
of broadband.
“There are a lot of folks in the state who know broadband is
a problem because they do not have connectivity in their com-
munities,” says Hinton. “However, there is a disconnect with
determining our first step and how we even go about trying
to solve this problem.”
Members of the council regularly conduct broadband de-
velopment training for local government leaders, planners and
project managers. So far, these trainings have generated nine
planning projects and three infrastructure projects.
In particular, the council is focused on establishing pub-
lic-private partnerships between municipalities or counties and
internet service providers. “We’re advocates of governments
going out and finding resources in capital, putting in the in-
frastructure, partnering with the provider and letting them
do what they do best, which is provide service,” says Hinton.
“That creates a great business opportunity and incentivizes
the private sector to mitigate its up-front capital costs, which
is a big issue in going into these smaller areas. We can reduce
their capital costs but still maintain some control and create
a really good partnership moving forward.”
Focused on the Future
The challenge of addressing West Virginia’s broadband
access problem has been a difficult one as no two areas in the
state have the same obstacles. The effort in finding a fix has
required the input of businesses, lawmakers, service providers
and a variety of organization leaders. Progress is being made,
however, and those involved are committed to ensuring that
all West Virginians, no matter their location, have high-speed
internet access.
“We have a state that has a lot of diversity in its challeng-
es,” says Hinton. “It is not an easy task, but hopefully with
what we’re doing, we’ll be able to find solutions for each area
that has unique characteristics.”
WEST VIRGINIA’S
TOP-RANKED DESIGN FIRM
Committed to improving the
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For 35 years, The Thrasher Group has been at the forefront of West Virginia infrastructure
projects. Whether it is land development or utility systems, our engineers, architects, surveyors,
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For more information, visit www.thethrashergroup.com.
Bridgeport
Charleston
Beckley
Burton
1-800-273-6541
WWW.WVEXECUTIVE.COM
SUMMER 2018
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