NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth Joins Sen. Shelley Moore Capito in West Virginia
NTIA administrator travels to West Virginia to tout state with the highest percentage fiber (thus far) in its BEAD proposal.
WHITE SULPHER SPRINGS, W.Va., August 28, 2025 – National Telecommunications and Information Administration Administrator Arielle Roth joined Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., local stakeholders, and industry leaders for a Thursday roundtable discussion addressing current connectivity challenges in West Virginia and ongoing efforts to close broadband internet infrastructure gaps across the state.
Jake Neenan
"After years of delays by the Biden administration, NTIA is proud to be moving forward on the BEAD program and delivering the ‘Benefit of the Bargain’ for Americans,” Roth said in a statement. "It was an honor to join Sen. Capito and local stakeholders to discuss the next stage of the program and NTIA’s commitment to closing connectivity gaps in West Virginia once and for all.”
After redoing its spending plan, West Virginia is looking to get fiber to almost all of its eligible homes and businesses: 94.25 percent fiber, to 73,701 locations, to be exact, according to the state's proposal released Aug. 19.
That's the highest fiber percentage thus far under the 26 states for which data is available.
“I was proud to welcome Administrator Arielle Roth to West Virginia today and give her the opportunity to share updates on the BEAD program with our partners in the state,” Capito said in a statement.
“Improving broadband access has long been a top priority of mine and it’s why I worked hard to secure key funding for West Virginia in BEAD. I believe this funding will be a game changer and get just about every West Virginian connected. I look forward to continuing to work with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Administrator Roth, and state leaders to bridge the digital divide in West Virginia,” said Capito.
During Thursday's roundtable, Roth provided updates on the agency’s progress in faciliating broadband deployment through the BEAD program.
On June 6, 2025, NTIA issued the BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice, which removed some aspects of the rules put in place by the Biden administration, with a focus on easing regulatory burdens and ensure multiple technologies – besides fiber – were considered.
Following its NTIA-required "Benefit of the Bargain" subgrantee selection round, West Virginia has released a final proposal to the NTIA on August 19. While not yet approved, West Virginia’s plan implementing the Trump administration's BEAD changes clocks in at $624 million in spending. That's a little more than half of the $1.2 billion allocated to the state in the Biden administration's June 2023 award allocations.
For more information on the BEAD program, visit NTIA’s BroadbandUSA website.
Member discussion