The Senate Communications and Technology Committee recently advanced legislation that would establish a grant program to extend the deployment of broadband services in underserved communities.
Senate Bill 835, the Unserved High-Speed Broadband Funding Pilot Program Act, would instruct the Commonwealth Financing Authority to establish an unserved high-speed broadband funding program account that would provide funding to improve access to high-speed broadband internet in rural areas.
Unserved areas currently have no broadband access. The bill would require these areas received service with a minimum speed of at least 25 megabits per second downstream and three megabits per second upstream.
Funding would be limited to companies and organizations that have demonstrated the ability to construct and administer internet services. These companies and organizations would be required to provide 25 percent of a project’s funding.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the need for reliable broadband services in the Commonwealth,” said Sen. Wayne Langerholc, Jr. (R-Bedford and Cambria counties), the bill’s sponsor. “Broadband provides vital access to the outside world and ensures that state residents have the resources they need to be safe, productive, and successful.”
Access to broadband is vital in responding to emergencies and in providing access to more educational opportunities and high-paying jobs, Langerholc said.