Logan Mayor Serafino Nolletti talked about the statistics from the Future Generations Graduate School showing that West Virginia is lagging behind the rest of the country in internet and broadband access.
Nolletti said in West Virginia that 49 percent of the households subscribed to broadband, compared to 63 percent from other states.
The Mayor thanked Fire Chief Scott Beckett and Firefighter Jason Conley for the work they had put into the project and expressed his gratitude to Congressman Nick Rahall, Senator Jay Rockefeller and people from different agencies and organizations who had worked on the project.
Mayor Vivian Lovingood of Gilbert called the project "wonderful" and noted that it will definitely help tourists who now travel to her town to ride the Hatfield-McCoy Trails and find themselves unable to access the internet when the come in for the evenings.
Livingood said dial up internet access can be so slow and frustrating that many people working on projects give up in frustration and don't take advantage of the opportunities available via the internet. At certain times of the day cable internet access slows down due to increased usage she added.
"This is a tool that will help those people to use the internet at high speed," she said, noting that elderly people can learn about health issues or use web cams to talk to family members in other states; young people can use the labs for educational purposes and firefighters and police can use them to take required tests and classes in their professions.
The mayor said she was very happy to hear about the project and that community leaders in Gilbert are excited about the possibilities it will bring.
"We are thankful to be a part of the project," she said. The Gilbert Fire Department is setting up it's own computer lab and will have an open house to celebrate in October, she said.
Future Generations Graduate School Project Director Traci Hickson said 67 percent of households in West Virginia own a working computer, but for many households broadband access was considered too expensive. Households in rural areas have a 19 percent lower broadband subscription rate. Hickson said the project began in the summer of 2009 and that fire departments were chosen to host the broadband initiative. $4.4 million in grant funding was set up to create 60 computer labs across the state. More than $2 million was also invested by state and local governments.
"Logan's is the first computer lab to open in southern West Virginia and 19 more will be opening soon," she said, noting that the gear has been delivered to a dozen of these. Mentors have been trained and refurbished computers will also be available to the public through the project.
"Broadband opens opportunities for occupations and education and careers as well as to small businesses," she said, noting that local fire departments will choose mentors for the project.
Hickson said that there is potential for growth in other areas in the future from the project, when asked about the possibility of wireless broadband access. Hickson said that it might be possible in the future to set up wireless "hot spots" close to the Logan Fire Department's computer lab.
Lee Ann Shreve, Deputy Director from the Future Generations school said the mentors chosen come from all walks of life and discussed the mentors. One was a young student and another was a retired educator who had no computer experience and wanted to learn herself. All were dedicated to their communities she said. Locally, Justin Conley will be the Logan mentor. Conley was one of the first to volunteer for the program and he set up Logan's computer lab.
Shreve said education courses will be available to the public on a basis of local interest. Jimmy Gianato Director of WV Homeland Security explained how first responders utilized broadband and devices such as Blackberries and Iphones to communicate instantly.
"You can build all the networks in the world, but if people don't use them because they cannot access them, what good are they?" Gianato said. He explained how one research project in a remote area had to have data transported there by hauling it in automobiles as an example.
Gianato said 12 new microwave towers will be coming to improve public safety communications as another vital part of the initiative and he noted many leaders in Charleston and Washington are looking at ways to make broadband internet service more affordable.
"You are going to see some major opportunities coming through this," he said of education opportunities, telehealth conferencing and other projects.
Brandy Messer and Jenna Jeffrey read an announcement from Sen. Jay Rockefeller about the broadband initiative about the useful ways broadband access can be used to help people improve their lives through information, communication and education.
Mike Kellerman of Suddenlink Communications was also present and he said his organization was happy to be of assistance on such an important project.
Richard Phillica from Raleigh County said when he found out about the project he realized his county needed to be involved in it.
Anthony Wilhelm of the National Telecommunications Information Administration discussed the origins of the project, and what Washington officials wished to achieve with it. Wilhelm said there were hundreds o f applications for the grants but "the projects mentioned today rose to the top."
Wilhelm said broadband access was important to the future of the US economy and expanding access to it was the goal of the program, which has potential to make major positive changes in the lives of people. Wilhelm said thousands of applications were made for millions of dollars in a very competitive process, but the broadband initiative was deemed important and sustainable. To date, $135 million was awarded, including the $4.4 million in grants as part of the project in West Virginia.
Public health, information and communications, education, obtaining services, public safety training and job training are key parts of the initiative, Wilhelm explained. In Hardy County 117 million miles of fiber optic cable will be installed.
"These projects lay the groundwork for areas that have suffered too long from a lack of access to broadband," he said.
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