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ELKINS -- Area officials are working toward a resolution that would assist in receiving future federal funds to expand broadband speeds throughout their counties.
Seven counties in West Virginia -- including Randolph, Upshur and Barbour -- were recently designated by the Federal Communications Commission as having 100 percent access to broadband internet service, and as such are not eligible for shares of nearly $2 billion in funding meant to extend access to underserved rural areas. However, local officials believe that designation is simply not true and could be a deterrent to receiving future funding to enhance internet speeds.
The counties said to have 100 percent access to broadband speeds, at a minimum of 25 megabits per second for downloads and three megabits per second for uploads, include Randolph, Barbour, Upshur, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis and Marion.
Robbie Morris, the Randolph County Development Authority executive director and vice president of the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council, explained that the FCC requires internet providers to supply them with what internet speeds are offered to different "census tracts" within the county.
"Twice a year the internet service providers are required to send to the FCC where they have service, what kind of service they have and the speeds they provide," he said. "That information is done on a census tract level, which is as low as it goes, and the rule is that if one home or one property is served with broadband internet speed, and broadband internet is defined as 25 megabits down and three megabits up. If one location in that census tract receives 25 by three or greater, the entire census tract is considered served."
He added this is based on "fixed solutions" and does not include satellite and cellular internet services.
Morris went on to say the 100 percent access designation in these seven counties will likely prevent the counties from receiving additional broadband funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which Randolph County previously received funding through roughly a year ago.
"Because of the data the internet service providers have sent in to the FCC, they are saying that seven counties -- including Randolph County -- 100 percent of the county is served by at least 25 by three. Where the problem comes in, just like the broadband grant that we got a year ago and we are in the process of implementing -- we have the first round of equipment and we are working on getting those hung but those are on existing towers. We haven't even built any of the new towers yet because it isn't construction season yet, but we are working on that," Morris said.
"That grant program that we applied for to get that funding is based on providing broadband for unserved or under-served areas," he continued. "We know (100 percent access) is not the case. We know there are several areas in this county that cannot get 25 by three and so when we go back to USDA and say 'Hey, we need some more funding to provide broadband to these people,' they are going to say, 'Well, according to the FCC they have it and we don't spend money to enhance already served areas. We are trying to get unserved and under-served (areas).'"
Morris also said the 100 percent access designation could prevent service providers from being eligible for "Connect America Fund" monies, which help upgrade existing services for customers.
"The 'Connect America Fund' is a program, essentially, that subsidizes internet service providers to bring service to unserved and under-served areas which are mostly rural areas -- where if they were to look at it from an economic standpoint and go to a certain area on their own, it doesn't make financial sense to do it, so they don't go," Morris said. "So, the FCC has this 'Connect America Fund' where they subsidize and say 'Hey, you need to use this to bring (broadband) connection in unserved and under-served parts of these areas.'
"Well, guess what, they don't provide to served areas," he continued. "It's not eligible, so now Randolph County is not eligible to receive CAF funding. So, whether it's Frontier (Communications), whether it's Micrologic, whether it's Suddenlink, or any other internet service provider that could tap into the CAF funding, now (they) can't tap into that CAF funding to bring better service to parts of Randolph County. That is a problem. That is a big, big problem."
Morris used the concept of a rural area near Valley Head as an example. He said a census tract out there could be 20 square miles, but if only one home along U.S. 219 has access to the high-speed broadband internet, the entire 20 square mile tract is considered to have access as well. He added that a situation such as that would prevent the county from receiving grant funding to expand into more rural areas within the tract.
"From the way the rules are designed, it may technically be correct, but from a practical application standpoint and the purpose of the funds, which is to get unserved and under-served areas of the country broadband access, it is absolutely incorrect," he said.
"The problem is it is absolutely detrimental for these seven counties to expand broadband access with the FCC saying we are 100 percent covered," Morris said.
He encouraged community residents to visit www.broadband.wv.gov and take surveys and internet speed tests at different times throughout the day and week to show there are areas that are unserved or under-served. He added he wants people who do receive high-speed broadband access to also take the test, as they are not looking for "skewed" data, but instead to find out which areas do not have access to the service.
"We don't want inaccurate data, we don't want skewed data. Whatever the true picture is, is what picture we want so that we can help the FCC, help the providers, and help the grant agencies in showing where we need to be investing our funds to ensure true 100 percent availability of broadband service in every county," Morris said.
"Do I think there are parts of Randolph County and parts of every county in the state or the country that aren't going to get 100 percent coverage, whether it's because only one person lives out there or nobody lives out there? I don't think any county is ever going to have 100 percent coverage but to say that it's 100 (percent) and for rural areas you have dense populations that can't get 25-three -- they are lucky to get 10 by one or something of that nature -- that is a problem."
Rob Hinton, the Upshur County Development Authority executive director and president of the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council, said his county shares many of the same concerns.
"If you are considered to have 100 percent coverage it makes it quite difficult for you to achieve and/or acquire any kind of federal programs that are set aside for unserved or under-served areas," Hinton said.
Hinton went on to say that he knows Upshur County does not have 100 percent access and identified the problem as using census tracts as a way to determine who has access.
"The problem is that the way they assess how people are being served is -- and it's not necessarily the company's fault -- is it is a very, very, very poor way of reporting," he said. "It's basically if you serve one customer with a certain level of service within a census area then that whole census area is considered to have that service and that is just false and causing these problems."
In addition to visiting www.broadband.wv.gov, Hinton suggested writing letters to the FCC would be beneficial. He added the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council has already written a letter to the FCC.
"The West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council is looking at how we can communicate with the FCC and let them know the negative impacts that this type of reporting has and the implications," he said.
Cheryl Wolfe, the Barbour County Development Authority executive director, explained there are two broadband issues in Barbour County -- availability and cost.
"We have folks that have internet, but with today's trends of being able to watch Netflix, or any of the streaming projects or ball games, through your internet it is just so expensive if you only have satellite internet or cell phone internet," she said. "It's really two issues. It's coverage, which is a problem here, and cost. Most folks can't afford to pay the cost to download a movie, for instance, on their current internet plan."
She added Barbour County officials plan to partner with Randolph and Upshur County officials on a survey project to try to combat the 100 percent designation.
"We partner together with Randolph and Upshur to do a broadband project and if we are successful in obtaining funding that will increase coverage and availability of competition in some of these areas," Wolfe said. "I'm really excited about the fact that we got funding in the first place but we have the opportunity to expand on that and try and get coverage for all our counties."