[July 01, 2011] EDITORIAL: Expanding broadband will help rural W.Va. Tweet Jun 10, 2011 (Charleston Daily Mail - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A century ago, the population of Leon in Mason County was about 330. Thanks to its location, it provided a low crossing on the Kanawha River. But dams raised the water level and bridges made the crossing obsolete. Now a new bridge may help revive a town whose population has fallen to 199. Frontier Communications has extended broadband connection to the Internet to Leon. High-speed access to the World Wide Web could transform life in this and other rural communities. As part of its acquisition of Verizon Communications' landlines in the state, Frontier promised to invest or use nearly a half-billion dollars in West Virginia to expand broadband and to improve landline service. Verizon extended broadband from Buffalo to Leon Elementary School about a year and a half ago, but stopped short of providing service to the community itself. Leon Mayor Bruce Riffle, who retired from a corporate information technology job in Columbus in 2003, begged Frontier to extend service to them "In the world that we live in today, high-speed Internet access is not a luxury," Riffle said. "I think it's an absolute necessity." Frontier responded. Leon Elementary School now has wireless service, which has changed education. The school has a com-puter lab, a mobile lab with 25 computers and at least five computers in every classroom. About 100 students now have high-speed Internet service at home. Stephen Reedy, who reopened a convenience store and gas station on W.Va. 62, can now sell hunting licenses, has applied for a lottery terminal, saves hours doing his business paperwork online, and may provide wireless service in the store. Reedy thinks Leon may even attract new citizens who had been put off by the lack of Internet service. "Frontier came through for us," said Leon Councilman Greg Barker. "I've had excellent service. I haven't had a down day." Extending broadband service is expensive, but it is a must. A hundred years ago, telephone service, too, was expensive but necessary to keep rural communities in touch with the world. Leon finally has its bridge -- a digital one. To see more of the Charleston Daily Mail, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dailymail.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, Charleston Daily Mail, W.Va. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]