March 04, 2019

Manchin Praises Facebook's Investment In West Virginia

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) released the following statement on Facebook’s announcement that it will lay fiber throughout West Virginia to connect Facebook data centers in Ohio and Virginia. The project will construct 275 miles of fiber through West Virginia between Ashburn, VA and Columbus, OH. The state will gain access to a portion of the fiber while providing Facebook access to the rights-of-way in the state. 

“Today’s announcement by Facebook is a great investment in our state. The fiber being placed to connect Ohio and Virginia will be advantageous for West Virginia, which will be able to use some of the fiber provided by Facebook to connect our communities. I have had many meetings with Facebook to address the needs of rural America, including expanding broadband connectivity through investments like the one announced today. 

West Virginians deserve to have reliable access to broadband, regardless of where they live in our wonderful state. That’s why I participated in the FCC’s Mobility Fund Phase II Challenge Process last year and have been working to ensure that federal coverage maps, which determine where federal broadband funding goes, accurately depict the real-world experiences of West Virginians. As a member of the Appropriations committee, I have advocated for West Virginia to receive more funding for broadband so that we can build on recent investments by the tech industry. Just a few weeks ago, I was pleased to announce that Infor, the largest privately owned tech company in the word, would be opening a location in downtown Charleston. This weekend, I called on Amazon to consider relocating to West Virginia. Technology companies are realizing the importance of investing in areas like our state and the benefits of such investments are returned tenfold.

This announcement by Facebook is a step in the right direction and I look forward to seeing more critical investments like this in West Virginia.”

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