Washington, DC –, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced $362,066,660 from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I auction to expand broadband access at nearly 120,000 locations across West Virginia over the next decade.
“Today’s announcement is great news for West Virginia. This first phase of funding will help our state deploy broadband access to nearly 120,000 locations across the Mountain State, bringing Internet access to West Virginians in rural and mountainous regions of the state. I am pleased that my efforts to ensure rural states like West Virginia get a piece of the pie have been successful in securing $362 million for our state,” Senator Manchin said. “This funding will connect unserved areas across the state, helping students complete their schoolwork, ensuring our small businesses can compete nationally and globally, and providing seniors and Veterans with access to telehealth services. While this is great news, we still have more to do to help all West Virginians get reliable, affordable broadband access. We must work to hold the nine providers who won bids accountable for the contractual promises they are making, especially those who have had a mixed record of success in West Virginia. We must guarantee that future federal funding is distributed using updated broadband coverage maps to ensure that areas in West Virginia that were excluded from this round get their fair share in the next auction.”