Meeting held in Fayette County discusses better access to broadband internet
HICO, WV (WVNS) – Locals from Fayette County met at Midland Trail High School to host a digital equity meeting.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss broadband planning and infrastructure.
It’s a needed issue in Fayette County, where a significant percentage of the population don’t even have access to an internet device.
Annie Stroud is the Broadband Program Director with Generation West Virginia. She said the number of people without proper internet access is a shocking statistic.
“I think a lot of people don’t realize how many folks in our communities don’t have a recourse like the internet. There is a whole district in Fayette County where almost 20% of households report having no device at all, that’s no phone, no computer, no tablet,” Stroud said.
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To tackle this issue, Generation West Virginia is trying to tackle the needs of different target groups.
This includes Seniors, Veterans, People with Disabilities, and many more.
One of the locals to attend the meeting was Jeff Proctor. He said the need even stretches to his own residence.
“I live on a street that had no internet on it. There’s probably 30 to 40 percent of the county either has no internet or they’re considered unserved,” Proctor said.
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Thankfully, groups like Generation West Virginia are trying to change that around.
With workshops planned for summer of 2024, final plans are expected to be wrapped up by August.
Officials said as our world evolves in the internet age, getting more people access to the internet will need to be a necessity.
“As so much of our daily transactions move online, our banking, submitting forms, school communications. All of those things are moving to an online platform, its really going to leave some of these people in the dust,” Stroud said.
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