The Fiber Frontier: Internet In Appalachia

Photo by Rebecca Hinkle

Those of us who have lived throughout the Appalachian mountains and communities have known that we needed reliable, high-speed internet for years. It was common to hear people complain about not being able to get any internet at all. After high school and college, we saw many bright and promising people leave. Not because they wanted to, but because they had to in order to find work that was not available in their home states due to the lack of internet. Thankfully, that is changing. As more broadband internet companies are coming to Appalachian regions, more homes are able to have access to fiber internet.

Before the pandemic, having reliable internet in Appalachia was not a given. Private homes in suburbs, towns, schools, and places of business would have fast internet, but the homes further in the countryside? Those homes on the mountain backroads? Sadly and frustratingly, that was not the case. Opportunities for remote work? Forget about it. It was not until March 2020 that the lack of broadband internet in Appalachia became more apparent to outsiders and things began to change in ways we were not expecting. 

The lack of broadband internet throughout rural mountain communities forced the creation of Wi-Fi hotspot zones in parking lots of libraries, grocery stores, or schools. Some rural counties would even use school buses as Wi-fi hotspots. Everyone used these Wi-Fi hotspots to work and kids all across the Appalachian region relied on them in order to complete school work and to not fall behind. Sometimes, remote medical appointments were even done in these hotspot zones. 

This past June, the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), announced the funding amounts that each state would be receiving to offer affordable and reliable internet to all households in their states. Going down the list, each state in the Appalachian region will be receiving over a million to a billion dollars for high-speed internet. West Virginia will be receiving over $1.2 billion, Virginia over $1.4 billion, North Carolina over $1.5 billion, and Tennessee will be given just over $8 million dollars. 

An eligible applicant in Virginia is defined as “a unit of government (Towns, Cities, Counties, EDA/IDA, Broadband/Wireless Authorities, Planning District Commissions, etc.) with a private sector provider(s) as a co-applicant,” according to the VA Commonwealth Connect Fund. 

Pursuant to "§ 56-585.1:9" of the Code of Virginia, "unserved by broadband" means a designated area in which less than 10 percent of residential and commercial units are capable of receiving broadband service, provided that DHCD for its Virginia Telecommunication Initiative may, by guideline, increase such percentage from time to time, according to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Virginia launched a multi-million-dollar campaign to match corporate and philanthropic donors with localities struggling to put together the resources to expand broadband infrastructure. So far, $1.5 million has been pledged. 

When looking at the VATI Dashboard, viewers can see key project areas throughout Virginia that have been funded since the beginning of 2021, and can click on each specific area to pull details regarding each project. Floyd County, whose contract timeframe ends on December 1st of this year, has a total grant funding of $1.3 million. The total match funding is just over $1.1 million. 

This is a life-changing opportunity for all households in the mountains of Appalachia. People do not have to move to cities or suburban areas in order to work a dream job or have a stable income. The fields open to these residents have grown from those that are popular within Appalachian communities, such as mining and nursing. Remote work, and all of the benefits that go with it, is now an option for so many in Appalachia now. 

Is it frustrating that it took a global pandemic to make the federal and state governments realize that broadband internet is desperately needed in Appalachian homes quickly? Very. 

Was it something that those of us who lived in Appalachia knew we needed before 2020? A strong yes. 

Are we glad that it is possible now that Appalachians have the option to work remotely and live in the communities they want to live in? Absolutely. 

I have worked with several people through the years from Appalachia who wanted to stay, but they could not find work in what they had degrees in. Now, I hope that will start changing. We all sincerely hope that workers can stay in their home states now because they have the option of remote working and succeeding in the digital age, and good companies are seeing that potential. The fiber internet companies are making a world of difference now for those in the Appalachian region. Everyone just wishes it had happened earlier.