West Virginia is one of the least saturated markets when it comes to broadband access (45th). It's a state where many residents still only have access to dial-up and satellite. In 2005, a bill was proposed that would have enabled municipal broadband competition, but it was derailed by Verizon lobbyists. Last month, a bill that would have mapped broadband access in the state and fostered deployment was vetoed by Governor Joe Manchin.

Manchin supported the bill in session, but at the last minute he said Cisco approached him with free advice on how to proceed, so he felt the bill wasn't necessary. While the move surprised the backers of the bill, Manchin insists that the goal remains to get broadband to all West Virginians by 2010, though details on accomplishing this are scarce.

Verizon has been accused of letting State telco infrastructure fall apart in order to spend that money on FiOS deployments elsewhere. An ex Bell Atlantic exec-turned-competitor recently bashed the company for manipulating the public in West Virginia and having absolute control over state politicians.