Technology, internet, connectivity in West Virginia

We continually hear the term 'technology', which encompasses so many areas. The Mountain State is doing a lot to promote the use of technology as it pertains to economic development, education, and simply to make life easier for its residents.

The state's Development Office website has a lot of information on the technology topic. To learn about West Virginia's three Technology Corridors, simply CLICK HERE.

Our recent article about the need for more high speed internet service received reaction from our readers (see below). Just so you'll know, high speed internet service is becoming available to more and more people in the state as you read this. The Eastern Panhandle, which was mentioned in the article, now has more service than it did when the article was written.

We Hate to Complain, but...

One of the special and unique aspects of life in West Virginia is the rural atmosphere we enjoy. Even if we live "in town" we can all be "in the country" in a matter of moments. For many of us, this is the very reason we are here. The quiet, the beauty, the "oneness" with nature and its glory mean more than shopping malls, amusement parks, the hustle and bustle of cities and their traffic jams and people everywhere.

Since the internet came into our lives, we are all, no matter whether we live in West Virginia or in New York City, able to be connected to a world we could never have imagined. We can visit places, learn about things and people, even shop for necessities and non-necessities in a matter of moments. This technology even enables many people to telecommute to their work and rarely or never even have to go into one of those hustling bustling cities to earn a living. To a state like West Virginia, this can mean that someone can live here and still work somewhere else. It means that perhaps not as many people will have to leave the state for other places.

There is a little problem with this, however, a problem that may seem not so important to some, but one that is becoming more important to many. Nearly everyone in the state has telephone service, so we can hitch up another phone line and use it for our trusty little computers. We listen to the screechy connecting sounds, and then we are logged on and can surf the 'net for hours. Right? Well... sort of. Now that technology has moved forward faster and faster, our little phone connections are just slower and slower, and are getting slower all the time it appears.

There's cable, there's satellite, there's DSL! These enable one to download information in a blink of the eye instead of twenty blinks, a couple of swallows, and maybe a bathroom break. Unfortunately, much of the state doesn't have access to any of these capabilities. So, while some Mountain State residents do have this access, those in more remote areas do not. If someone needs quick access for work, this creates a problem. You just can't get as much work done as quickly as necessary in order to be productive.

One of West Virginia's areas experiencing this problem the most is in Berkeley County in the Eastern Panhandle. According to a 2006 report by the U.S. Census Bureau, Berkeley County is the 56th fastest growing county in the United States! Its close proximity to the Washington, DC area means that people looking for a more affordable (yeah, right, we'll talk about this another time), safe, and less frantic place to live are moving in droves into the county. This growth has been described by some residents as a tidal wave.

Some of the county does have DSL and/or cable access. Satellite service is available, too, but in wooded areas it isn't feasible. The problem is that a lot of the county does not have access to these services that would enable telecommuters to live in Berkeley County and allow folks to get any internet work done faster. And... when one speaks with Verizon or the cable company, they are told that there are "no plans" to bring the service to many parts of the county that do not currently have access.

People have bought homes (and expensive ones at that) assuming that because they live three miles west of Interstate 81 DSL service is available. Whoa, are they mad when they find out it isn't!

Verizon says they are working hard to bring DSL service to "remote" areas of the state. Berkeley County is not "remote" and needs the service! It is considered part of the Washington DC metropolitan area! If you are one affected by this technology problem, let Verizon know. If you aren't, contact them anyway and ask them to get the whole state online. It will help all of us in the long run. Thanks!

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