NTIA awards $1.4 million grant for broadband mapping and planning in West Virginia

The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it has awarded a grant of approximately $1.4 million to fund broadband mapping and planning activities in West Virginia under NTIA's State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program. The program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will increase broadband access and adoption through better data collection and broadband planning. The data will be displayed in NTIA's national broadband map, a tool that will inform policymakers' efforts and provide consumers with improved information on the broadband Internet services available to them. NTIA has awarded the West Virginia Geologic and Economic Survey (GES) approximately $1.2 million to collect and verify the availability, speed, and location of broadband across the state. This activity is to be conducted on a semi-annual basis between 2009 and 2011, with the data to be presented in a clear and accessible format to the public, government, and the research community. In addition, the GES will receive $185,000 for the cost of broadband planning activities in West Virginia over two years, bringing its grant award total to approximately $1.4 million.