WEST VIRGINIA BEAD FINAL PROPOSAL AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 19, 2025

Charleston, W.Va. — Today, Governor Patrick Morrisey announced that West Virginia’s Final Proposal for Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding will be available for public comment, beginning August 19, 2025. 

Comments may be submitted through the web form found on the WV Office of Broadband website through 11:59 PM EDT on August 26, 2025 or mailed to:

West Virginia Division of Economic Development - Office of Broadband
BEAD Final Proposal Comments
1900 Kanawha Blvd. East
Building 3, Suite 600
Charleston, WV 25305

“I am pleased to share the BEAD Final Proposal with West Virginia and the nation,” said Governor Morrisey. “We are completing the final steps toward securing this critical funding and expanding broadband throughout West Virginia. This historic investment will advance our work to attract new investments in our state, grow jobs, and make West Virginia the best state in the region to own and operate a business. We will maximize the impact of this funding and ensure that broadband connectivity reaches every corner of the state.” 

West Virginia’s BEAD subgrantee selection results include:

 ·    Nine companies selected for award,

 ·    Serving all locations eligible for BEAD funding in West Virginia, approximately 74,000 locations, including unserved, underserved, and community anchor institutions.

The Final Proposal aligns with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice, released June 6, 2025. The policy created a new 90-day deadline for all states to submit their BEAD Final Proposals. The Final Proposal must be submitted to NTIA on or before September 4, 2025. The Notice revised several elements of the BEAD Program, and required a “Benefit of the Bargain Round” prioritizing low-cost projects and a technology-neutral approach. 

The West Virginia Department of Commerce, Division of Economic Development, Office of Broadband, will administer West Virginia’s $1.2 billion BEAD allocation. The Final Proposal describes how West Virginia complied with NTIA requirements, including the Benefit of the Bargain Round, and other information as required by NTIA. Additional information about the BEAD program is available at broadband.wv.gov"

Regional Optical Communications — a 19-county

non-profit consortium dedicated to improving

broadband access in West Virginia — took on the

task of coordinating a statewide study aimed

at identifying the current status of and future

need for broadband service in West Virginia.

The project, managed by engineering firm The

Thrasher Group, took a county-by-county look

at the addresses in the state that were classified

as unserved or underserved broadband locations.

This data was used to create preliminary routes

along existing utility poles to identify how to bring

fiber to those addresses in the future. These routes

— and associated cost estimates — were developed

to provide a roadmap for regional planning

and development councils (RPDCs), counties,

municipalities, and local internet service providers

(ISPs) to develop projects that could be further

designed and constructed. A compilation of this

information was provided to each of West Virginia’s

55 counties.

The overarching goal of the study was to bring

communities closer to closing the state’s digital

divide. With unprecedented amounts of funding

available at both the federal and state levels, having

shovel-ready projects is immensely important —

those closer to being ready for construction are

far more likely to be funded than projects still

in their infancy. The data collected in this study

provides a strong baseline for RPDCs, counties,

and ISPs to show funding agencies the measurable

outcomes their projects will have. This can increase

the likelihood of receiving the requested funding

and gives a much shorter timeframe for finalizing

route designs and moving projects to construction.