Associated Press Published

Justice: Broadband Route to Cross Through West Virginia

Broadband Lawsuit

West Virginia’s governor says broadband network operator Zayo Group will build a fiber network crossing 200 miles of the state.

Gov. Jim Justice said Thursday that the broadband route will link Columbus, Ohio, with Ashburn, Virginia, which is near Dulles International Airport. New media outlets report that details of the agreement were not available.

Jack Waters, chief technology officer for the Colorado-based company, says construction of the network will begin early next year and will take two to three years to complete.

Justice says the state will be exchanging access to right-of-ways for a “significant amount of high-quality fiber.”

The governor announced in September that West Virginia would provide broadband developers with free access to state right-of-ways as a way to encourage construction of broadband networks in the state.