In theory, the new broadband standards will be very beneficial for states like West Virginia. While the northern and eastern panhandles of the state already have acceptable speeds, there are many smaller towns and cities farther south that do not have access to the same kinds of internet. However, there is also a strong possibility that this change will not be as significant as the article seems to suggest. Charles Town is a city located in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, it also the fourth fastest city in terms of broadband speed. This is likely do to its reputation as a “commuter city” and because of the proximity to the states of Maryland and Virginia. While the city of Charles Town has this geographical advantage, internet speeds on average are only at 25.5 mbps …show more content…
This is most likely due to the fact that only two companies are widely available in this city: Frontier and Comcast. Frontier is more widely available, but it is also slowly being boxed out of the area by Comcast. Comcast is flourishing in the city because of the speeds it advertises as 150 mbps at the fastest. These speeds are known to be throttled in the area, however it is hard to justify switching to any other competitor. Frontier’s fastest speeds are 1/6 of what is supposedly offered by Comcast. Shintel, a fiber company, is only available in 3.3% of the city (Reese, 2017). The lack of competition is concerning with the new broadband regulations. While it would be amazing if they pushed Frontier to increase their speed, or for Shintel to expand, this is a process that will take a number of years. It is more likely that Comcast will use these new regulations to monopolize the market. Comcast already lands within these regulations and will Michael McKitrick 800128335 not have to make any large changes to adapt, however the other two companies will need to make large steps to fit within the regulations. For Charles Town, the changes in advertising speeds proposed by the bill would