Because of the state's sparse population and rugged terrain, most high-speed Internet providers have not expanded their service to large portions of the state.

Federal, state and local leaders gathered Sept. 18 at The Resort at Glade Springs for the Southern West Virginia Broadband Summit, sponsored by the Discover the Real West Virginia Foundation. Although West Virginia lags behind the rest of the nation, the lack of broadband deployment is not confined to the Mountain State, said Michael J. Copps, commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission.

"The problem is that we do not have a strategy to get the broadband job done," he said. "We don't have a way to bring together the people in this room."

Lack of Direction

The United States does not compare well with other developed nations in terms of broadband accessibility, Copps said. The U.S. is ranked 16th in one survey and 21st in another.

"As far as I can tell, we're the only country on the face of God's green earth that doesn't have a broadband strategy," he said.

Some of the countries that rank higher in those surveys, such as Canada, have more territory and less population density than the U.S., he said. Despite the country's lack of a policy, broadband deployment is one of the most important infrastructure issues today, U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., said.

"This is akin to the building of the railroads ... or the Interstate highway system," he said. "The building of broadband will allow people in this state to be in touch with other countries. ... It opens up the entire world."

But it is unlikely that national leaders will make broadband deployment a top priority any time soon, U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D.-W.Va., said.

"The bottom line is, don't wait on Congress," he said. "It is, after all, Congress. You should keep doing what you're doing, and maybe we'll follow along later."

It is unlikely that Congress' attitude toward the matter will change even if Democrats win control of one or both houses in November, Rockefeller said in response to a question at the summit.

"Just because the Democrats control Congress, it's not like everybody is going to suddenly see the light," he said.

Tool for Development

Expansion of broadband could lead to economic development, Rockefeller said.

"This has everything to do with creating more good jobs in West Virginia," he said. "Businesses are going to require that an area have broadband access."

Broadband, which allows more information to be transferred at higher speeds, is available to 85 percent of homes in the U.S., according to the Consumer Advocate Division of the state Public Service Commission. That falls to 75 percent in West Virginia.

Although the final 25 percent will be difficult, it is not impossible to expand broadband service there, Rockefeller said.

"If we can add one percent every month or every two months, in two or three years we'll be there," he said.

But by the time that is accomplished, newer technology likely will be available, meaning West Virginia still will lag behind other states.

Although the state is behind others, private industry has made progress in expanding the high-speed infrastructure, said Stan Cavendish, president of Verizon of West Virginia.

"I'm impressed by what industry has done," he said.

The ultimate solution is for public entities and private industry to work together, Cavendish said during a panel discussion.

"We really are into this together," he said. "We're looking for solutions together."

Solutions

One of the more creative solutions that was shared during the summit involved Bristol, Va. About five years ago, the city formed Bristol Virginia Utilities, a corporation that expanded fiber optic infrastructure to its citizens, said Wes Rosenbalm, president and CEO.

"We started out putting in the infrastructure (for city government), and businesses started inquiring about tying into that infrastructure," he said.

After studying the issue and learning that 90 percent of residents would be interested in subscribing to the service, the city formed the corporation, Rosenbalm said. The company, formed four years ago, today provides service as far west as Bluefield, Va., he said.

The high-speed service has helped with economic development in the region, Rosenbalm said. Recently, Northrop Grumman and other companies have arrived in the area and created good-paying jobs, he said. Broadband access was not the only reason for choosing the Bristol area, but it was one, Rosenbalm said.

Another possible solution does not involve constructing an infrastructure. Hughes Network Systems provides satellite Internet service to anybody with a view of the southern sky, said Mike Cook, senior vice president and general manager.

Most gas stations and other businesses that accept credit cards can use satellite service, he said.