By Stephen Smoot
Last week, a little noticed bill passed the United States House of Representatives. The simply written HR 2474, on passage, would “require the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on the capability of the Appalachian Regional Commission to include satellites in broadband projects, and for other purposes.”
The remainder of the bill states that one year or less after passage, “ the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct, and submit to Congress the results thereof, a study on the capability of the Appalachian Regional Commission to incorporate satellites in broadband projects.”
The study would “review the capacity of satellite broadband services to be used for business purposes”, “evaluate economic development growth in areas that have used satellite broadband for businesses”, and “analyze the cost-effectiveness of implementing broadband via satellites for economic development.”
Derek Barr from Hardy Telecommunications shared mixed feelings about relying heavily on low earth orbit (LEO) satellites for broadband expansion projects. “The key to this bill will be the details of the study it initiates,” Barr began.
On one hand, “low earth orbit satellite technology is amazing and it can deliver faster internet than older technologies like DSL.” He added that “I think LEOs are a great way to reach homes where fiber-optic technology isn’t feasible.” Starlink in recent years has expanded service into the Mountain State.
Barr underlined that, “however, it is not fiber-optic technology.”
Hardy Telecommunications and its sister non profit in Pendleton County Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks Telecommunications, or SKSRT, continually work to expand fiber optic service into some of the most difficult-to-access parts of West Virginia. They operate off of a Universal Service Fund based program dating back to the 1930s where non profit telecommunications entities received a reimbursement for every land line connected. Even today, land line connecting still steers funds into Hardy Telecommunications, which then reinvests as much as possible into expanding fiber.
The reputation and capabilities of Hardy Telecommunications is such that several years ago, it partnered with the Hampshire County Commission on federally funded broadband expansion projects there.
“The potential problem is that (LEO satellite service) is now being seen as a direct alternative to fiber optic connectivity because LEO satellite internet costs less to install,” said Barr.
While costing less, Barr argues, it also delivers less, “our mountainous terrain means that the availability of LEO signal can be vastly different even for locations close to each other.” Many homes, or also tourist cabins, clinging to the sides of mountains find it “a tricky proposition for reliable LEO satellite connection.”
He explained further that “LEO satellites require a clear, unobstructed view of the sky for best results. Results can vary even between seasons.”
HR 2474 came from Representative Dave Taylor (R- Ohio 2nd). He stated “for too long, rural communities like mine in rural southern Ohio have been left behind the modern economy, all because they lack sufficient access to the internet.”
He stated that passage would “finally connect Buckeye families and businesses to the opportunities they need to thrive.” The bill passed a subcommittee, a committee, then the full House. It now rests in the hands of the United States Senate. Neither of West Virginia’s Representatives, Riley Moore or Carol Miller, serve on those subcommittees or committees.
Congressman Taylor’s bill seeks to quicken the establishment of high speed internet service in Appalachia, but his Appalachia is not the Appalachia of most of West Virginia.
Southern Ohio’s Appalachian counties are in the western edge of what is called the Appalachian Plateau. Over millions of years, a formerly flat plain at an elevation relatively high above sea level gradually eroded into the hollows and hills familiar to that part of Ohio. The topography of West Virginia in Jackson and Mason counties resembles this as well.
Go farther south into Logan, Mingo, and McDowell counties, or cross into southeastern Kentucky. The hollows cut deeper in the earth. In “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive, written by Darrell Scott and most recently recorded by Brad Paisley, the song describes the topography. “The sun comes up/About 10 in the morning/And the sun goes down/About three in the day” describes the unforgiving and rugged terrain of the southern Appalachian Plateau.
Go eastward from Charleston into the mountains of Pendleton, Hardy, Tucker, Preston, Pocahontas, and elsewhere, the topography changes but has the same results. Ridges extending as high as 4,000 feet and extending for tens or hundreds of miles create “shadows” where reception of satellite makes it difficult.
The federal government itself causes Starlink service limitations in Pendleton and Pocahontas counties. The National Radio Quiet Zone establishes strict regulations on telecommunications over and above the difficulty of connecting in remote areas. It covers the Green Bank National Radio Observatory and a National Security Agency facility in the region.
Rick Gillespie, Pendleton County emergency services coordinator, has worked with both state and federal officials to reduce the impact of the NRQZ. In September of 2024, the NRQZ’s effect on both internet service and also emergency communications sparked the Pendleton County Commission to pass a resolution calling for its outright dissolution. They were joined by several other counties and economic development entities. Currently a hexagon-shaped area in Pendleton County serves as a reduced area of limited or no Starlink service.
The NRQZ has no effect on fiber optic service.
Barr asked the question “are we going to create a permanent digital divide where urban areas get access to the latest technology and fastest speeds that urban residents enjoy?”
If the United States Senate passes the bill, a study may very well determine if that becomes the case.
