Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
It began more than 20 years ago when Mike Holstine, then business manager at the Green Bank Observatory, tried to help setup a remote town hall meeting for an elected official.
The unnamed elected official wanted to have several of these meetings with high schools around the state and Pocahontas County High School was included on that list.
Working with Roger Trusler with some educational program at the high school. Holstine said PCHS was the only high school in the connection grid that didn’t have enough internet to participate in remote meetings.
“I started at that time to try to change that,” Holstine said.
A lot of hard work and collaboration led to the development of the Pocahontas County Broadband Council and the fight to get broadband internet in Pocahontas County.
Last Wednesday, it was announced at the PCHS auditorium that the broadband project had officially broken ground and is underway.
Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Ruthana Beezley shared the good news with county residents and PCHS seniors, explaining how the project will be a game changer for the county and its residents.
“Today we’re talking about broadband and, if you’re like me, you hear a lot of stuff about broadband – four years ago I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant – but for today’s purposes, just know that broadband is fast internet,” she said. “It’s the kind of internet that lets you stream videos without buffering. It lets you join Zoom without freezing. You can upload résumés and job applications and homework in seconds – not minutes or hours.”
The broadband project will include 49 miles of powerful fiberoptic cable from Marlinton to Minnehaha and up to Dunmore.
“It means faster internet,” Beezley said. “That’s more than just streaming on Netflix or better updates to your Minecraft. It’s about unlocking access for education. It’s about entrepreneurship. It’s about remote work. It’s about telehealth and it’s about building businesses and all the digital things we need today in modern life.”
Broadband Council president Sarah Riley recalled how she got on board four years ago and how she and the council worked diligently to help the county get to this day.
“Pocahontas County was the first county in the state of West Virginia to have a local broadband council,” she said. “Everybody in the state of West Virginia knows how hard we fought in Pocahontas County to get this internet.”
Holstine added his gratitude to those involved in getting the project going and said it took a lot of hard work to make it happen.
“You would not believe the amount of work it takes to do something like this,” he said. “Pocahontas County, this is a big day for us. I want to welcome you to this new age, hopefully, for this county.”
Joining in the celebration, Region 4 Planning and Development Council Executive Director John Tuggle introduced several dignitaries – two who sent video messages and one who sent a letter.
Gayle Conelly Manchin, who is the former first lady of West Virginia, is the co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, which provided a $2.8 million Power grant for the project.
“ARCs initial mission in the 1960s was to develop a highway system that would connect our rural communities,” she said. “Now we must focus on the broadband highway to bridge the digital divide and connect rural places like Pocahontas County to national and glo-bal opportunities. Broadband connectivity is essential to the economic development of eastern. West Virginia and is also essential to the day-to-day quality of life for our people.”
Senator Shelley Moore Capito also sent a video greeting and congratulated the broadband council and all those involved in getting the project underway.
“Today marks an important milestone in delivering transformative infrastructure to help bridge the digital divide to connect unserved homes, farms, businesses, healthcare providers and more across this vast region of our state,” she said.
“Better connecting West Virginia through increased broadband and access is imperative to everyone to compete and thrive going for-ward,” she added.
Tuggle also read a letter from Congresswoman Carol Miller, who shared her congratulations to the county.
Ending the event with his comments was Citynet president and CEO Jim Martin. Citynet is the communications business that will install the fiberoptic lines bringing broadband into the county.
Martin grew up in Beverly and knows what it’s like to live in rural West Virginia with bad internet. He knew technology was integral for success and founded his first company, MARCOM, while still a computer science student at West Virginia University.
MARCOM, along with Charleston-based Citynet, was acquired by City National Bank, and later the two companies merged into one when Martin and a team of investors acquired Citynet from the bank.
Since then, Martin and his team are proud to say Citynet is 100 percent West Virginian owned and provides services all over the state.
Martin spoke directly to the students in attendance and told them to embrace the future of technology.
“My advice to you all is really seize the opportunity that broadband gives you. When you get [this service], you have it all in your pocket. Your cellphone is the most powerful thing you can imagine. It’s got all the knowledge in the entire world.”
In conclusion, he addressed everyone and said he is happy to see the project come to fruition.
“I’m pretty excited about everything and really looking forward to getting this project off the ground,” he said.
