Restoring, expanding and improving broadband internet service brought telecom executives to a Senate committee hearing held Wednesday. Members of the Legislature pressed testifiers for answers about what stands in the way of reaching those goals.
Leaders of T-Mobile, Liberty Mobile V.I., Viya, V.I. Next Generation Network, Planning and Natural Resources, Management and Budget, the Public Services Commission, the Education Department and the Water and Power Authority appeared before the 35th Legislature Committee on Housing, Transportation and Telecommunications. They came to discuss the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program (BEAD).
The program promises to deliver high-speed internet service to consumers in 50 U.S. States and five territories, including the Virgin Islands. “The territory was awarded $27,103,240 from the National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA), with $1,249,952 dollars already received to be used for the initial planning phase,” said OMB Director Jenifer O’Neal.
To administer the program, OMB established the Virgin Islands Broadband Office. That office is now creating plans to provide “Internet for All” in the territory, O’Neal said.
Other testifiers outlined their participation in the program and other initiatives aimed toward broadband expansion. Next Generation Network Director Stephan Adams said FEMA awarded his agency funds to restore portions of the existing broadband network damaged by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. “We are aggressively undertaking projects to restore, mitigate and build resilience into our network,” Adams said.
In addition to the funds administered by OMB, Adams pointed to an additional $84.5 million given by the Federal Communications Commission to Liberty Mobile to build a modern high-speed fiber network.
Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Jean-Pierre Oriol said his agency has so far received 15 applications to build communications towers territory-wide. Ten have already been approved, the commissioner said, and five others are still pending.
Sen. Carla Joseph asked how long it would take to clear the application backlog. “It depends on the location,” Oriol said.
WAPA CEO and Executive Director Andrew Smith told lawmakers that carriers must take care to properly string their wiring along the utility’s power poles. “Telecommunications and broadband providers are required to perform and provide the engineering analysis to ensure that their equipment can be safely installed on WAPA’s poles. Providers are also required to comply with all electrical and other safety standards as well as federal requirements for their installations and equipment operation,” the WAPA chief said.
But one invited testifier — Public Works Commissioner Derek Gabriel — did not appear and did not send a representative. Committee Chairman Marvin Blyden was among those lawmakers expressing disappointment. “We have to move forward,” Blyden said.
Liberty V.I. Country General Manager Ravindra Maywahlall said his company cannot proceed until they obtain permits from Public Works to install high-speed cables. The company’s plan calls for micro trenching — laying cables along roadways in shallow trenches eight inches deep.
But Maywahlall said Public Works has not responded to their follow-ups for permit approvals. “If we have all these permits approved, we can complete the projects,” he said.
Lawmakers also asked OMB officials when the rest of the BEAD funding would arrive. In his closing statements, the agency’s grants manager said none of the state or territorial recipients have received full funding to complete their internet expansion projects.
