With the conclusion of this year’s regular session of the West Virginia Legislature, there is time to reflect on the action (or inaction) of a group of elected officials who showed us what they prioritized over getting to work to improve our economy, education, healthcare and the general quality of life.

But perhaps there were also lessons learned. For example, one failed bill should lead lawmakers to take a harder look at what it will take to bring broadband internet access to as much of the state as possible.

Senate Bill 891 was another attempt to let the fox guard the henhouse when it came to the legally required publication of notices of government action. The idea was to create a state central legal advertisement website as an alternative to the print and digital publication of such advertisements by newspapers our communities know they can trust.

Its language was a clear indication the bill’s sponsors had not looked lately at how many West Virginians have quality internet access, let alone how many actually use it.

Despite repeated promises that internet access would be brought to all Mountain State residents, that simply isn’t happening. Approximately 10% of West Virginia households have no internet access at all. West Virginia University research shows 17% have “little or no” broadband or internet service.

A 2022 West Virginia Social Survey report on internet access in the state looked further.

According to the report, access to the internet at home is most common among residents who have high household incomes and education, the report says. Self-reported ratings of ability to use the internet are also higher among residents with high incomes and education. Meanwhile, older residents report lower rates of access and ability to use the internet.

In West Virginia, the lowest rates of home internet access according to age were reported by those 60 and older. Data from the 2020 U.S. Census showed West Virginia was the third-oldest state in the nation.

When the state Senate Finance Committee rejected the bill, there is no doubt most of them understood it would have blocked access to legal advertisements for those who are not able to access (or navigate) the internet; and those who don’t already know what they’re looking for when searching a government-controlled website. But some must also have realized there is simply too much work left to do in bringing broadband internet access to every West Virginian who wants it.

It’s time for them and others in both Charleston and Washington, D.C., to get to work fulfilling promises that have been batted around since former U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin — back in 2017 — compared the challenge to that of getting reliable electricity to all Mountain State residents in the 1930s. Broadband internet access is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity, and West Virginia has waited long enough.