There’s nothing quite like listening to bureaucrats and corporate representatives bicker while something of vital importance to ordinary citizens hangs in the balance.

But that’s just what happened Tuesday when West Virginia Public Service Chairwoman Charlotte Lane had to call out electric utilities, internet service providers and state officials for dragging their feet on establishing rules for expanding fiber broadband on existing power poles.

Though a group of representatives for Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power, MonPower and Potomac Edison, several internet service providers and trade organizations, telecommunications representatives, and state officials turned in a report back in January, it turns out they couldn’t actually agree on recommendations.

Ronay Tenney, the director of engineering services for FirstEnergy and its subsidiaries (MonPower and Potomac Edison), acknowledged collecting data not directly related to providing electric service was “a lot of labor and a lot of money for what we do not feel is of any value.” Tenney went on to say “Our position is that it is not worth it … because they do not serve our electric customers any purpose.”

Peter Markham, an attorney with Bowles Rice representing the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council, appears to have been correct when he responded to that line of thinking by saying “So, broadband is not a priority.”

Though Tenney claimed his response “twisted” the situation, she felt compelled to clarify that collecting the data is not a priority because FirstEnergy does not believe the information will be of any value in expanding broadband access in West Virginia.

Exhausting, isn’t it?

Tenney went on to criticize the working group as not well-defined and not focusing on the right issues. Shortly thereafter, a representative of ISP Citynet presented evidence that suggested FirstEnergy charged different amounts for work on Citynet projects in two different counties.

If Tenney wants focus, perhaps the whole lot of them could start by focusing on how to provide a necessary utility to West Virginians who are at a significant disadvantage without it.

It’s like watching a group project at a middle school where no one in the group gets along. Worse, actually, as eventually children can often be persuaded to get to work toward the greater good.

“West Virginians are waiting for broadband and the people in this room can make it happen or you can be part of the problem, and the commission is going to make sure that you all are not the problem,” Lane said, in wrapping up that meeting.

Given the mess that appears to have been made of the process so far, we wish Lane and the Public Service Commission luck.