West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin thinks the Mountain State can make a good case for getting some of the $7 billion broadband money that was included in the economic stimulus package that passed Congress earlier this year. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is responsible for doling out more than $4 billion in grants and the Agriculture Department's Rural Utilities Service has the job of distributing $2.5 billion. Both have to act fast with Manchin and other state officials eager to put the money to use. Manchin, a pioneer in the broadband space, delivered a keynote address at an Internet Innovation Alliance symposium Wednesday and spoke with reporters afterward. He also received IIA's Broadband Innovator of the Year award for his efforts to advance deployment and adoption in West Virginia.
Since taking office in 2004, Manchin has emphasized that high-speed Internet is as important a commodity as water and electricity, he told Tech Daily Dose. The economic success and global competitiveness of the United States depends on it, he said. Last year, Manchin advanced a bill in the state legislature that would set up a fund to pay those who successfully apply to expand Internet access in underserved areas of the state. He also proposed that the entire state have high-speed Internet access by 2010. Several years ago, Manchin set up a broadband deployment council to track access throughout the state. "It was the first of its kind in the nation and it pulled everyone under one tent to make sure we were using all the resources available," he said.
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