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W.Va. Must Capitalize on Frontier’s Investment

Far too often, West Virginians seem content to point out what we don't have. We see other states prospering, and we feel left behind. We blame our terrain, our lack of infrastructure and so-called greedy corporations who use our resources but fail to reinvest in our communities.

Well, one corporation has stepped up and did what it promised it would do. Frontier Communications, a company with a huge presence in West Virginia, has wired this state with more Internet capacity than any other in the nation. For the past year, Frontier has been aggressively expanding broadband service and investing hundreds of millions of dollars into improving high-speed Internet access. This expansion was part of a promise Frontier made to the state, its Public Service Commission and its leaders when the company purchased Verizon's landlines in 2010.

This is more than just a single line into a far-flung hollow. Frontier officials say the system they're implementing will be state-of-the-art. Rather than slow and steady, the new capacity, which is part of the company's West Virginia Redundant Data Network project, will be a constant cascade of information. With a system of redundancies designed to reduce outages and slowdowns, this investment could open the door to new opportunities for residents, businesses and communities.

"There will be more capacity in West Virginia than what exists in the entire national Internet right now," Kenneth Arndt, president of the Frontier's southeast region, told the State Journal. "This is truly transformational for the state ... In one year, we will have transferred the state from having to scramble for Internet to being the envy of every other state."

As of now, our state ranks near the bottom of the list in terms of broadband penetration and access to high-speed Internet. When this project is complete, we'll be the national leader. 

To say this is transformational is an understatement. Business in the 21st century demands that we have access to high-speed Internet. We must be able to communicate with stakeholders not just in other parts of the country, but across the globe. This will attract new investment and give already established companies another outlet to promote themselves to a new audience. 

Frontier made good on their promise. They've upheld their end of the deal. They said they were going to do something, and they did it. Now it's time we do ours — use this massive investment to work for a better West Virginia.