Broadband Infrastructure

For some time, and for many, the connotation of terms like educational attainment, workforce and economic development in West Virginia has been negative. Demographic trends have not been favorable. Data and rankings placing West Virginia near the bottom have been cited far too many times to be recounted here. Yet, in 2023, West Virginia has rebounded from many of the recession-like effects of the COVID-19 pandemic with the addition of jobs and several announcements of significant economic investments. While an improved business climate and considerable efforts on the part of Governor Jim Justice and the West Virginia Legislature cannot be overlooked, a key component of this success comes from significant inroads into an improved broadband internet infrastructure.

Broadband internet, and more recently, funding for improving access to those services, has captured a significant amount of state and national attention. The funding available to West Virginia under the Broadband Enhancement, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, as an example, represents a generational opportunity and will help every sector of the economy and every citizen in the state bridge the digital divide.

The concept of a digital divide is not new; in fact, it has been part of the research and academic lexicon for approximately three decades. Other work came before, but in 1995 the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) published, “Falling Through the Net: A Survey of the ‘Have Nots’ in Rural and Urban America.” This research helped train the focus on extensive disparities relating to internet access, particularly for minority groups and older, less-affluent rural populations with lower educational attainment.

For many years subsequent, however, broadband internet was still thought of as a luxury good. Along with seismic shifts in every aspect of daily life, the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped views of broadband into that of a necessary utility. Heading out of the pandemic focused on a lasting recovery, broadband now features as an essential component of efforts to equitably improve outcomes in economic development, education and civic participation.

Despite the immense funding levels for broadband infrastructure deployed in West Virginia and around the country—with the significant wage impacts to labor, businesses and households from its deployment notwithstanding—the value from fiber and other infrastructure for high-speed internet is small. The true value comes from both access to and, more importantly, what people and firms are enabled to do with secure, reliable and affordable internet connections.

A comparison of potential versus kinetic energy helps to illustrate the difference. Energy stored up in an object, like a ball sitting atop a steep slope, has potential. Broadband infrastructure acts as the slope, while robust networks and reliable access to them represent that potential energy. When the ball begins to move down that slope, the motion transforms into kinetic energy. E-learning, remote work, telehealth and digital engagement represent a few of those transformative activities.

Education

There are strong correlations between education and economic success, but how does broadband impact the attainment of knowledge and skills? Broadband, and information and communication technologies more broadly, can support students through access to informative resources and customizable lessons that help them learn according to their own interests and abilities. Through learning activities enhanced by broadband, students will develop proficiencies that not only offer improvements in academic outcomes, but also skills that can help them navigate an increasingly digital world.

Broadband can also bring a world of prospects to students in ways never before possible. Small school districts and rural schools stand to benefit immensely. On their own, these entities lack the ability to tap into the types of expertise and information locally that are available from virtual interaction with educators in the arts, science and industry. Career exploration for students all along the K-12 continuum can help identify new and exciting careers. Broadband provides the necessary avenue to do more than read a book or watch a video. It can light the pathway to innovation in young minds.

Higher education, especially inclusive of the community and technical colleges, serves as the conduit for delivering a highly skilled and well-trained workforce. Relating to broadband, these institutions will help prepare the workers that will build out and maintain the requisite infrastructure but also continue to provide access to skills and credentialing as careers progress. These occur in a context where college enrollments are changing in demographic makeup and desired interaction and outcomes. Institutions will have to adapt.

Workforce

As within the education system, broadband will change how both firms and individuals find opportunities for work and training. Reliable broadband technologies allow a greater swath of employees to participate in telework—no matter their location. It can also facilitate more flexible work arrangements for employees and increase the available talent pool for firms. Once those workers become employees, especially for smaller firms, they have training options through a wider variety of resources than otherwise would be available.

Together, firms and education providers can build right-sized training options for short-term openings and long-term goals such as recruitment, retention and growth. The breadth and reach of these activities are both facilitated and made more effective by broadband technologies.

Business and Government Applications

Businesses and government have the incentive to stay on the leading edge. Financial incentives and market pressures dictate that firms have access to information in real time and engage both customers and suppliers across the globe. Broadband provides the medium that firms and entrepreneurs can fashion into new products and platforms that help businesses thrive. Governments feel similar pressure, although the demands and incentives are less direct. Broadband provides them with the ability to engage their citizens, provide information and deliver services efficiently and in ways that extend beyond traditional office schedules.

Future Directions

Technological change also means that broadband improvements will affect more than the traditional ways of learning and work. The momentous infrastructure buildout across the country will have significant pressures on logistics, supply chain performance and the availability and cost of labor. New industries will rise, potential threats will undeniably emerge. The state and its institutions of higher education are preparing to meet those challenges with significant investments in cybersecurity research, telemedicine and technology to enhance citizens’ digital identity and through creating an environment where financial technology companies evaluate financial products and services.

It is important to remember that building the infrastructure is a necessary but insufficient step alone to ensure future economic competitiveness, opportunity and growth. Providing reliable, robust and affordable high-speed internet along that infrastructure is also critical. Firms and entrepreneurs must continue to provide value from the services, either through additional efficiencies or new applications.

Educators and training providers need to embrace the full spectrum of opportunities to develop lasting academic outcomes, skills and pathways that allow citizens to continue to learn as technology changes. Governments must engage their citizens no matter who those citizens are, what they need, where they live, when they choose to interact or how they engage. Finally, and by no means is this an afterthought, it is essential that individuals grasp and hold on to the prospects that broadband can bring into focus.