“Southwest Virginia’s 20th Century Politicians in a 21st Century Data Race: Still Clinging to Coal, Crumbs, and Crippling Monopolies”
Fifteen years ago, Wise County didn’t wait for bureaucratic hand-holding—it secured a top-tier data center by hustling on its own, hiring a lobbyist, marketing its strengths, and steering clear of outdated economic development agencies stuck in a rotary phone era. Fast forward to today, and our elected leaders are still giving rah-rah speeches about “opportunities” while leaning on 20th-century thinking in a world run by fiber optics and AI algorithms.
At a recent legislative breakfast, lawmakers like Del. Terry Kilgore and Del. Israel O’Quinn waxed hopeful about attracting data centers to Southwest Virginia, with Kilgore pointing out our region’s abundant land. But here’s the inconvenient truth: land alone doesn’t bring tech jobs—it takes broadband, energy reliability, and, yes, world-class healthcare. And in that department, Southwest Virginia ranks embarrassingly low, thanks to the unholy monopoly that is Ballad Health.
The Ballad Health Mess:
If data center operators are Googling “local healthcare options,” they’re getting horror stories. Ballad Health—Southwest Virginia’s monopoly healthcare provider—ranks near the bottom of national healthcare surveys. Instead of investing in better outcomes, Ballad has focused on consolidating hospitals, cutting services, and paying below-market wages that drive skilled healthcare workers out of the region. When your local nurses are overworked and underpaid, it’s not exactly a glowing endorsement to attract outside talent—or to retain the talent we already have.
Why aren’t our elected leaders making healthcare reform a top priority? Instead of defending outdated Certificate of Need laws—which protect Ballad’s monopoly by blocking competition from entering the market—they should be working to dismantle this antiquated system. These regulations might as well be stamped “Property of the Politburo” because they function like communist-era bureaucracy, preventing other healthcare systems from offering better options and good-paying jobs.
Broadband or Bust:
While the rest of Virginia zips along the information superhighway, too much of Southwest Virginia is stuck in the digital equivalent of a dirt road. If tech companies are looking for places to set up their data centers, they need more than land—they need 21st-century internet connectivity. Without it, we’re pitching data centers with a shrug and a prayer: “Bring your own broadband!” The fact that broadband is still a “goal” and not a reality in some communities should be embarrassing.
Outdated Energy Talk:
O’Quinn rightly pointed out that data centers need reliable power, but the conversation about renewables versus fossil fuels feels like a rerun from 2005. While Southside, Shenandoah Valley, and the Eastern Shore compete with forward-thinking proposals, Southwest Virginia is stuck in endless debates over the Clean Economy Act like it’s the only thing standing between us and prosperity. It’s not. The real barrier is a lack of vision.
A Modern Region Needs Modern Priorities:
Instead of clinging to nostalgia for coal and outdated economic strategies, Southwest Virginia needs leaders who prioritize:
- Breaking Ballad’s stranglehold on healthcare to bring in competition and create high-paying healthcare jobs that attract families and businesses alike.
- Expanding broadband access to connect every household and business to the global economy.
- Smart energy investments that don’t just rely on land but actually offer the power infrastructure data centers need.
Wise County proved 15 years ago that we could compete and win in the high-stakes data center game. But today, unless we upgrade our priorities and ditch the 20th-century playbook, we’ll still be sitting on “potential” while the rest of the state cashes in on the future. And no tech executive—or industrial professional—wants to set up shop in a region where the broadband is slow, the hospitals are ranked low, and the brightest and most educated have to leave the region to find good paying jobs due to lack of infrastructure.
If we don’t adapt, Southwest Virginia won’t just be behind—it’ll be a cautionary tale. And as O’Quinn warned, we’ll not only be sitting in the dark—we’ll be stuck in it.
—Mountain Bee Satire