By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
A $7.9 Million LEAD Program Grant has been awarded for expansion of broadband into Tucker County according to Steve Leyh, Executive Director of the Tucker County Development Authority.
Tucker County Commissioner Mike Rosenau said, “We are proud to join forces with Prodigi to drive progress in our community. The funds from the Tucker County Commission demonstrates our unwavering commitment to improving digital access for our residents.”
The Tucker County Commission also invested a matching contribution of $50,000 towards the project, according to LEAD. “The LEAD Grant will be complemented by a matching contribution of $50,000 from the Tucker County Commission, resulting in a total financial commitment of $111,000,” LEAD wrote.
The goal of the project, according to a LEAD press release, is to fund the extension of existing cable and broadband networks in the area. “The LEAD Program is designed to fund extensions of existing last-mile cable modem and fiber-to-the-premise broadband networks that can be constructed quickly,” the release said. According to LEAD, the project is slated to install approximately 141 miles of state-of-the-art fiber infrastructure in the area and bring broadband internet availability to 644 targeted addresses in Aurora in Preston County into northwestern Tucker County areas including the Limestone Mountain area, Leadmine, St. George, Parsons and Hambleton.
At the same time as the expansion is progressing in Tucker County, Leyh and Rosenau want to remind residents that they may still qualify for internet service discounts through the Affordable Connectivity Program. The program writes, “Eligible low-income households can receive a discount of up to $30 per month towards internet service…Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer or tablet from participating providers if the household contributes more than $10 and less than $50 towards the purchase price.”
Requirements, according to a FCC press release, are:
- Their household income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, about $60,000 a year for a family of four or $29,000 a year for an individual
- Anyone in the household, including children or dependents, participating in certain government assistance programs like SNAP, Medicaid, WIC, Federal Housing Assistance or others
- Anyone in the household participates in the National School Luch Program or the School Breakfast Program
- Anyone in the household received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year
- Anyone in the household receives a Lifeline Benefit or
- Any household may also qualify for the ACP through a participating provider’s existing low-income program
Digital Connections, operating as Prodigi, received an award of $7,906,924 in grant funding from the LEAD Program for the expansion project. This amount, according to LEAD, is provided through the West Virginia Legislature’s Broadband Development Fund.
According to a LEAD press release, “On July 26, at the inaugural West Virginia Broadband Summit, Governor Jim Justice announced the preliminary approval of nearly $8 million dollars in Line Extension Advancement and Development (LEAD) grant funding for a project that will expand broadband infrastructure in both Preston and Tucker Counties.”
