[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6557333,"mediaKeyId","3301349-f9cabcf0da0110208e08496b52876a85","parentId",3301349,"title","USVI broadband office, utilities and carriers outline deployment, funding and coordination hurdles","audioSeconds",17448,"startMs",62000,"endMs",17510000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3301349-f9cabcf0da0110208e08496b52876a85&start=62&end=17510","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3301349-f9cabcf0da0110208e08496b52876a85/thumbnail_62000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6557333/USVI-broadband-office-utilities-and-carriers-outline-deployment-funding-and-coordination-hurdles","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6557333-afd0f2ea2c46604c59ce2fc23c93dcae/orig.mp4?Expires=1775422893&Signature=WZmFXV~9Var7bqkS~j0xkg02jPJjTq2Gobz48-RcucHMVgjg5Nu1r-XW6tJV5F50W5to2zeIy9MChWUIUMLKZMn9yrmEmNdTWl3OM~wsIX98-bxKhfCQZtj9aF2AyTbSrTaOD9DAn75QKFG3qGyCBFYltukTxh7QyiNKnJDzqqTeb8kH7Eey6QHfVAQHvXxF4zCV3Jc66~KqTAJA-rLfYmMlYRvxv0~K~K0Ghupxm7nCVUpoIOp2XxEqlXm868nlqgGgQDauMkrEPrGO0W4lu2kT0BCRa3Ct4KnkUGI2w46mEhy0~ecP5CQBkXHjIPqtmGwvywIYvS~OzSK-g-6BRg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Virgin Islands Legislature","date","2025-05-14T19:56:22.263Z","article","Samir Webber, director of the Office of Management and Budget’s broadband office, told the Senate Committee on Housing, Transportation and Telecommunications on May 14 that the territory had secured the full $27,100,000 awarded through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program and was taking steps to open subgrantee funding opportunities. \"The April 4 release of the NOFOs marked the opening of the application process for eligible subgrantees,\" Webber said, and he gave the committee dates tied to BEAD milestones: subgrantee selection and certification, a final proposal due July 17, 2025, and a projected start date for BEAD‑funded projects of Oct. 1, 2025, if prerequisites are completed.

VINGN President and CEO Steven Adams described recent upgrades and grant activity at the territory’s government‑owned middle‑mile network. He said VINGN used federal CARES and ARPA funds to expand community Wi‑Fi and had increased backbone throughput — a recent ARPA payment funded expansion that moved core transport from 10 gigabits to 100 gigabits. Adams said VINGN is prioritizing non‑deployment uses of BEAD funding in light of the FCC Connect USVI grant, focusing on digital literacy, workforce development and sign‑up assistance rather than duplicative infrastructure deployment.

Private and commercial carriers said they were continuing large capital programs while pressing for better permitting coordination. Ravendra Meiwalal, general manager for Liberty USVI, said Liberty has built about 10,800 homes‑passed to date and expects additional aerial pole attachment permits; he said Liberty had submitted roughly 34 project applications to WAPA covering about 8,000 home passes. Siobhan James Alexander, chief executive of 1 Communications (formerly Viya), said the company has upgraded speeds and deployed 21 5G sites and that its lowest consumer broadband tier is now 200 Mbps, with gigabit options available across much of the territory.

T‑Mobile’s managing counsel told the panel that T‑Mobile is investing in new sites and resiliency work but that, under the territory’s current BEAD implementation strategy, many wireless deployment activities would not qualify for BEAD funding because the territorial plan prioritizes a \"fiber first\" approach. T‑Mobile said it remains open to coordination where federal guidance permits mixed technologies.

Utility coordination was a persistent theme. Derek Gabriel, commissioner of the Department of Public Works, said Liberty VI permit applications historically accounted for a large share of excavation requests and that DPW was tightening restoration and warranty conditions — including five‑year warranties on restoration and requirements for full asphalt restoration in many cases — to reduce future roadway liability. Carl Knight, CEO of the Water and Power Authority (WAPA), described the pole‑attachment review and GIS inventory work WAPA is doing to vet proposals and protect pole warranties and storm‑hardening investments.

Rupert Ross, director of the Bureau of Information Technology, reported progress on interoperability, adoption of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and upgrades to Microsoft licensing and endpoint management. Ross said BIT had centralized monitoring through a government network operations and security center and was prioritizing governance, data management, and website modernization under Act 88‑57.

Several witnesses warned of recent federal grant uncertainty. Adams said a $2,100,000 NTIA digital‑equity award to VINGN was terminated May 9 and that VINGN had paused work related to that grant while it monitored litigation and federal guidance. Webber said BEAD planning and NOFOs continued and that the territory was preparing subgrantee applications for workforce and digital‑inclusion projects.

Committee members asked about customer service, pricing differences with other markets, microtrenching depth and road restoration standards, the status of community Wi‑Fi rollouts and the Diaspora Link Act in Congress, a congressional study backed by Congresswoman Plaskett to assess undersea cable links and a tier‑1 data center feasibility study. Several senators urged greater use of the government‑owned middle‑mile network (VINGN) and tighter permitting coordination to avoid repeated trenching and pavement failures.

What’s next: the broadband office and VINGN said they would continue outreach for BEAD subgrantee applications and provide additional data and contracts the Senate requested. Committee members said they will ask the broadband office, utilities and carriers to provide follow‑up materials requested during the hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","05-14-2025 | Committee on Housing, Transportation and Telecommunications","oneSentenceSummary","Samir Webber, director of the Virgin Islands’ broadband office, told a Senate committee May 14 that the territory has secured $27.1 million in BEAD funds and is preparing subgrantee solicitations while utilities and carriers described network upgrades, community Wi‑Fi expansion and permit and restoration conflicts that could slow deployment.","taxTitle","Committees\t, Legislative, Virgin Islands, International","taxId",17312,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6557328,"Senate committee holds bill requiring 60‑day notice for significant rent increases; committee seeks more stakeholder input",4955,10805000,15760000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3301349-f9cabcf0da0110208e08496b52876a85&start=10805&end=15760","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3301349-f9cabcf0da0110208e08496b52876a85/thumbnail_10805000.jpg","/articles/6557328/Senate-committee-holds-bill-requiring-60day-notice-for-significant-rent-increases-committee-seeks-more-stakeholder-input","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6557328-e3238c5a46addfe6313052179a9f798a/orig.mp4?Expires=1775422893&Signature=X5303H0T78HVfCVvdYQyUJLxcjEBQwACZ9oscfteB7VS7IgJBf8sosi67ZyyfmkWlbua-gQP4Vn4Kvt1Rdma-K4NxHE-ofDEvTmpltU3L9hKWuic60Q3jDZzRAAvktRmmfA9YS26Is067vXXKNIMMBECLqGIpFgRyxTEBo2bMZIEox7S6tNhforDtYHC8sWYsSaQ5vQhe9opXRGu2bDoCPUqAlMLYGf~Z4dgSN1qUT86tzqyv930s2q4RTHVhi9uwqzEY1e1QfhYB4nbTj-uy8e3DwZosOwX6qsu-v3kld8~fMV9VjXj3BncjO8-zPcgPPVGWQY7VROLILssY7ar7A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senators on the Committee on Housing, Transportation and Telecommunications heard testimony May 14 from the Virgin Islands Housing Authority and other stakeholders on bill 36‑0022, which would amend Title 28, chapter 31, to require that residents on month‑to‑month tenancies or ending leases receive 60 days' written notice for either a termination of tenancy or a rent increase larger than 5 percent.

Senator Marvin A. Blyden, the bill sponsor and committee chair, said the measure is intended to reduce housing instability. \"Short notice for rent increases and termination of tenancy is a major contributor to homelessness in a territory and housing instability,\" Blyden told the committee, describing cases where tenants have little time to find alternate housing.

Lydia Pell, chief operating officer of the Virgin Islands Housing Authority, told senators the housing authority already follows advance notice practices for federal housing participants and supported the bill’s tenant‑protection aims. \"By allowing tenants the proper time to evaluate their options, secure alternative accommodations, and manage their finances effectively, we are ensuring that their rights are protected and their security is prioritized,\" Pell said on behalf of the authority.

Committee members debated specifics including the definition and method of \"fair notice,\" the interaction of the proposed 60‑day notice with existing statutes that govern termination at will and forcible entry and detainer, and how the bill would affect private landlords who rely on rental income for mortgages. Legal counsel advised that the bill would set a 60‑day notice standard for increases of more than 5 percent or for termination of tenancy in month‑to‑month arrangements, and that separate eviction procedures (notice to quit and a forcible‑entry-and‑detainer action) would still govern removal from a property.

Senators said the committee should solicit input from the real‑estate community before finalizing any text. The committee voted to hold the bill in committee at the chair's discretion and to invite additional testimony from the Board of Realtors, private landlords and a real‑estate attorney. The motion to hold the measure passed by voice vote with recorded tallies: yes 6, no 1.

What’s next: the chair said staff will schedule follow‑up hearings with invited private‑sector witnesses and that amendments might be drafted to clarify the form of notice and the interplay with existing eviction statutes.","Senators heard testimony supporting a bill that would require landlords to give 60 days' written notice before terminating month‑to‑month tenancies or imposing rent increases over 5 percent. The committee voted to hold the measure for further review and to invite real‑estate stakeholders and private landlords to testify.","actionData","errors"]

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USVI broadband office, utilities and carriers outline deployment, funding and coordination hurdles

Senate committee holds bill requiring 60‑day notice for significant rent increases; committee seeks more stakeholder input