West Virginia Chamber of Commerce Thanks Sen. Shelley Moore Capito for Urging Strict Scrutiny of RDOF Auction
December 11, 2020
Charleston, W.Va. – The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce is applauding the actions of Senator Shelley Moore Capito surrounding her work on broadband connectivity in West Virginia. Earlier this week the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the results of its auction for RDOF (Rural Digital Opportunity Fund), which is designed to bring high speed broadband internet to rural areas in our state. Nine companies successfully bid on $362 million in FCC money for this project in West Virginia. The nine companies and winning amounts were:
- Frontier Communications – $247,626,395
- Citynet West Virginia – $53,516,858
- Gigabeam Networks – $28,067,789
- Space Exploration Technologies – $13,822,221
- Micrologic Inc. – $10,036,047
- Digital Connections Inc. dba PRODIGI – $8,583,001
- Commnet Wireless – $196,952
- Altice USA – $125,528
- Shenandoah Cable Television – $91,867
Yesterday Senator Shelley Moore Capito sent a letter to Ajit Pai, Chairman of the FCC, highlighting her concerns over the largest bid winner’s ability to meet the obligations set forth by RDOF. Her letter highlights the need for strict scrutiny over this process to ensure that West Virginians receive the full benefit of this important program and can be connected to high speed internet throughout the state.
West Virginia Chamber President Steve Roberts stated, “I commend Senator Capito for her hard work and advocacy on behalf of West Virginians needing reliable high speed internet service. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how urgent this issue is, and we absolutely cannot afford to not receive the full benefit of proper use of these RDOF funds. I very much appreciate Senator Capito’s work to expand broadband connectivity in West Virginia.”
Members of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce are your small business neighbors. Chamber members employ over half of our state’s workforce and are found in every county and region of our state.