Pocahontas Broadband/ARC Project Celebrated at PCHS

The Pocahontas County Broadband Council held a public celebration at the PCHS Auditorium on November 12^th. of the start of the construction of the Pocahontas County/ARC Broadband Project.  That project will bring 49 miles of high-speed internet fiber to homes and businesses which are located East of Marlinton, through Huntersville, and north through Minnehaha Springs to Dunmore.

While at that celebration, we had the chance to interview Jim Martin, the CEO and President of Citynet, which is the Internet Service Provider for the project. Here is what he wanted to directly tell the people of Pocahontas County.

“My name is Jim Martin, I am the President and CEO of Citynet,” said Martin. “We are a West Virginia Internet Service Provider, that’s in the process of building out a lot of fiber throughout West Virginia, to connect up those households that currently do not have it.”

“Today, we are here at the Pocahontas County High School to make an announcement of the project that’s the combination between Citynet, the County Commission, the Pocahontas County Broadband Authority (Council,) in which the project received funds from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC.) It is about a 4-million-dollar project to build about 40 or 50 miles of fiber throughout the region. Those households that are targeted are going to have fiber brought directly to their house, and they are going to have the opportunity to get ten gigabit of Internet -up and down- not the one gig, we are talking about 10 gigs. And we hope to have prices starting around $50.00 a month. It can go a little bit higher. Those households that are going to be served by this project, are not only gonna have the best Internet in West Virginia, but the best Internet in the entire universe, because it is all fiber-based, and it is a 10-gigabit system.”

“I would like to thank Pocahontas County, the Region (4 Planning and Development Council,) even Snowshoe Resort, in that Snowshoe is one of the first areas that Citynet brought high speed Internet into the State of West Virginia. And, it is because of that first project, that kind-of put Citynet on the map, and really enabled us to go and expand broadband throughout the state. Pocahontas County has always been a big supporter of Citynet. And, we are very appreciative of the community, and look forward to giving back, not only through this project, but through several other projects that we are working on here in the county.”

“The good news,” continued Martin, “is that within a four-year time-frame, every household in the state is going to have broadband, but the goal is to try and accelerate that and get it here even quicker, but the good news is we are finally going to have some good broadband.”

When, during the celebration, Martin addressed the members of the PCHS Senior Class who were in attendance at the celebration, he told them to seize the opportunity broadband offers them and to feel free to approach any Citynet crews stringing fiber and ask them about what they are doing and how they are doing it.

Ruthanna Beezley of the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation opened the celebration ceremony and said “today is the day that marks the transformation of broadband in Pocahontas County.”

Mike Holstine, one of the founders of the WV Broadband Enhancement Council talked about how he became involved in bringing broadband to WV, and the significance of this new project to the county.

John Tuggle, the Executive Director of the Region 4-Planning and Development Council congratulated those who worked so hard for this.

Gayle Manchin, Co-chairman of the ARC and U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito each connected remotely and congratulated the county on the beginning of this broadband project, while a letter from U.S. Representative Carol; Miller, also congratulating the county, was read aloud.

This celebration marks a true beginning of broadband in Pocahontas County.