An editorial from The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register
WHEELING, W.Va. — Of course it would be nice if every home and business in West Virginia had a high-speed internet connection. But it would be nice if every family had a reliable car, every school had better equipment, all the potholes were repaired and no one had to pay state taxes, too.
At the risk of being very politically incorrect, it is our guess many Mountain State residents would, if asked to prioritize their needs and wants, place broadband internet service somewhere below No. 1.
The two leading candidates for governor, Republican Bill Cole and Democrat Jim Justice, were asked about the subject last week during their debate in Charleston. Both agreed extending high-speed internet access is important — and it is, to an extent.
But the two disagreed regarding what role state government should play in expanding broadband service. Justice suggested it should be a priority, with government involved in the campaign. Cole, citing the millions of dollars in federal funding wasted on technology projects in West Virginia, said government’s involvement should be limited to prodding private companies to expand high-speed service.
In fact, part of Cole’s position is based on realism. State government simply does not have the tens of millions of dollars needed to get into the broadband business itself.
We find ourselves in a position somewhat like the parent telling a child there’s no money to buy whatever new gadget, toy or clothing is the current fad, even if everyone else has one. We tell the kids having the item in question would be nice — but do we really need it?
High-speed broadband access is a many-faceted issue. Providing it for education is one thing. Extending it for direct economic development is another. For the latter purpose, state government ought to be identifying areas that are priorities for the special cable that carries data at high speeds. For the former, it needs to be recognized that it simply is not feasible to serve to every isolated home. Other technologies should be considered.
Throwing tons of taxpayers’ dollars into government-funded technology programs simply does not make sense for West Virginians, especially given the recent history of waste and inefficiency.
Mountain State residents and businesses cannot afford to sit out the current technology race. That much is true. But we also cannot afford to merely begin sprinting aimlessly. We need to use our heads on this one, for the good of our children and grandchildren.
