W.Va. hailed for broadband plan

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin thinks the Mountain State can make a good case for getting some of the $7 billion broadband money that was included in the economic stimulus package that passed Congress earlier this year. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is responsible for doling out more than $4 billion in grants and the Agriculture Department's Rural Utilities Service has the job of distributing $2.5 billion.

Both have to act fast with Manchin and other state officials eager to put the money to use. Manchin, a pioneer in the broadband space, delivered a keynote address at an Internet Innovation Alliance symposium Wednesday and spoke with reporters afterward. He also received IIA's Broadband Innovator of the Year award for his efforts to advance deployment and adoption in West Virginia...