U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) recently released a video update on the Capito Connect Plan, which is designed to boost high-speed Internet access for West Virginia residents by improving broadband connectivity.
“What you may not know is that 56 percent of West Virginians lack fundamental access to broadband services,” Capito said. “In rural areas of our state, this number is as high as 74 percent. High-speed internet is a pillar of our 21st century infrastructure and a gateway to economic growth in rural America.”
The video update was released at the end of her statewide listening tour, which focused on collecting ideas and input about the plan and its goals.
“Along with this plan, my staff recently concluded a two-month-long listening tour and received very helpful input from the sessions held in nearly every county in West Virginia,” Capito said. “The most common themes we heard during the listening sessions were issues with broadband access, speed and affordability. We also received a number of comments about the need for more competition and public-private partnerships.”
Capito and her team plan to use this feedback in crafting the plan.
“These comments will be very useful as we evaluate the next steps for connecting West Virginia,” Capito said. “As we continue to look for solutions at the federal level, I encourage all West Virginians to keep sharing their ideas for improving broadband.
“This is no small task in a rural state like ours, and it will not happen overnight, but by putting our heads together and thinking innovatively, we can seize the potential broadband has to offer,” Senator Capito said.
After serving West
Virginia’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House for 14 years,
and as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates for four years
before that, Capito decided to run for Senate with the goal of being an
even stronger voice for the Mountain State. Capito also saw an
opportunity to restore order to a Senate stuck in gridlock for far too
long. Capito was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 and is the first female U.S. senator in West Virginia’s history, elected with the largest margin of victory for a Republican in state history – winning more than 62 percent of the vote and all 55 counties.