Trump administration approves West Virginia’s broadband expansion plan

by Lori Kersey, West Virginia Watch
November 21, 2025

The Trump administration has approved about $545 million in funding for West Virginia’s plan to expand broadband access across the state. 

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration approved West Virginia’s proposal to the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Friday. 

“This technological upgrade will connect every corner of West Virginia and facilitate the jobs and opportunities needed to move forward,” Morrisey said in a news release. “We’ve worked closely with the Trump administration to secure this historic investment and are proud to provide these possibilities to the people of West Virginia.” 

BEAD is a $42.45 billion federal grant program funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by congress in 2021 that aims to connect every American to high-speed internet by funding partnerships to build infrastructure.

West Virginia was approved for $1.2 billion in BEAD funding last year under former President Joe Biden. 

The Trump administration in June announced plans to revamp the program, remove “burdensome regulatory requirements” and institute changes aimed at lowering costs. West Virginia revised its application down from connecting 110,000 locations to nearly 74,000 locations across the state. 

NTIA administrator Arielle Roth said in a news release Friday that “Benefit of the Bargain” reforms brought the plan’s cost down from $959 million to $545 million, a savings of 43%. 

“Congratulations to West Virginia on the approval of its BEAD Final Proposal — an important milestone in the state’s path toward universal connectivity,” Roth said.

The state’s approved plan includes nearly $546 million for 142 deployment projects that will connect 73,044 unserved and underserved locations throughout West Virginia. The federal agency is reviewing other allowable uses for additional funds and will issue updated guidance in the future, Morrisey said in a news release.

The build out phase of the project will take four years, through 2029, to complete, Morrisey said. 

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. praised the announcement in a news release Friday morning, saying that it brings West Virginia closer to deploying the largest amount of broadband funding for the state to date. 

“I am thrilled that West Virginia’s BEAD plan has been approved by the Department of Commerce,” Capito said in the release. “This means West Virginia is another step closer to better-connecting our homes, businesses, and classrooms across the state. I have had dozens of conversations with the Administration and our state officials, and while there is still a long road ahead to getting more West Virginians connected, we are well on our way with today’s announcement. I look forward to continuing to help our state in any way that I can as the plan moves its way through the approval process at NIST.”

In a news release Friday, Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., who submitted the state’s initial proposal for the funding in November 2023 when he was governor, said he made sure the state was in the best position possible to receive the funding so it could keep modernizing its broadband infrastructure. 

“This funding is an absolute gamechanger and will cover thousands of locations throughout the state, fostering new opportunities, jobs, education, and investment,” Justice said. “This doesn’t get done without the Trump Administration, the NTIA approving West Virginia’s final proposal, great partners like Sen. Capito, and the countless state and federal stakeholders who made this possible. This historic investment in broadband technology and infrastructure will have a tremendous impact on West Virginia.”

West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.