West Virginia’s Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Five-Year Action Plan has been approved by the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA). This Five-Year Action Plan prepares West Virginia to invest a $1.2 billion allocation from the NTIA BEAD program.

West Virginia stands ready to deliver on a historic opportunity to connect the State with high-quality broadband service through once-in-a-generation investments in its infrastructure and its people. This readiness is the product of engagement and planning over the last year at the state level and in communities. It is also the product of years of preparation and wise decisions by the State to be ready for this moment, first with the creation of the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council in 2016, and later with the addition in 2021 of the West Virginia Office of Broadband within the West Virginia Department of Economic Development (WVDED). WVDED will build on its record of expanding broadband service through the West Virginia Broadband Investment Plan, a $236 million initiative with nearly 40 projects awarded to date, touching 40 counties. 

Next steps include the BEAD Initial Proposal Volumes I and 2. Initial Proposal documents will be published for 30-day public comment periods in the coming months. Special thanks is extended to the many partners who contributed to this plan, to the West Virginians who participated in community meetings and surveys, and to everyone united in the mission to expand broadband in West Virginia.

Read the full plan here:
Read a five-page executive summary here:
Read a one-page summary here: