Ultra high-speed broadband for Pocahontas County

Hello all,

On Wednesday, July 29, 2009, I had the pleasure of being in Washington, D. C. to speak with the staffs of Senators Rockefeller and Byrd, as well as Congressman Rahall and his staff, on a truly unique effort to bring ultra high speed fiber-optic broadband to 11 counties in southern and south-eastern West Virginia - including Pocahontas.

The proposal is being spearheaded by Regions 1 and 4 Planning and Development Councils, and includes the support of all 11 of their counties, county commissions, and municipalities. It would provide a fiber-optic Internet backbone with a bandwidth of 100Gbps - a full 100,000 times faster than basic DSL! We would partner with private providers to deliver "the last mile" to residences and businesses, as well as our schools, libraries, and hospital/medical centers.

Pocahontas County's traditional industries are Timber and Tourism. I'd like to add Technology to our list. I believe that such an infrastructure in Pocahontas County will allow us to attract technology-related industries that rely on large amounts of affordable bandwidth.

The Pocahontas County Commission supports this endeavor, and it was a pleasure to speak on behalf of the Commission. Several others made the trek to D. C. as well to speak to this project, and it was a pleasure to join them in this effort: Regional Planning & Development directors Dave Cole (Region 1) and W. D. Smith (Region 4), Senator Richard Browning (D-Wyoming), Monroe County Clerk Donald Evans, Lewisburg Mayor John Manchester, and Jim Kelley from the Cumberland Plateau Company in Virginia.

The application deadline for this $45M proposal is August 14. There is much work to do between now and then. I will keep you updated on the status of this proposal as it moves forward.

DF