Gov. Tom Wolf signed nine bills into law Wednesday, including House Bill 2071, now Act 96 of 2021, establishing the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority.
The authority will help to manage a minimum of $100 million in federal aid the state will receive from a federal infrastructure bill. Funding will be used to rollout broadband in a coordinated and strategic way, purchase broadband equipment and install towers and lines.
The law went into effective immediately. The authority will dissolve when all available federal funds have been exhausted or after 10 years.
The authority is the state’s first official broadband entity. It will be comprised of an 11-member governing authority board.
Reps. Martin Causer (R-Cameron/McKean/Potter), Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford/Potter) and Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna), sponsored the bill.
“The COVID-19 pandemic proved once and for all that access to high-speed internet is not a luxury but a necessity,” Causer said. “Successful expansion of broadband comes down to coordination and funding, and this new law addresses both. It is what we need to get across the finish line of providing broadband to all who need it.”
The lawmakers called Act 96 of 2021 a major victory.
“I’m confident this law is going to be a game-changer for our farmers, business owners, teachers, students, doctors, patients and all of us who have been hampered by slow or no internet service,” Owlett said. “I believe the funding and coordination facilitated by this law will finally get broadband service to the ‘last mile.’”
The state Senate and House of Representatives passed the legislation unanimously.
“This is a great day for all of us who have been fighting for broadband access in the most rural areas of the Commonwealth,” Pickett said. “Broadband infrastructure is as vital to our communities and our economy as our utilities and transportation infrastructure. I look forward to better connectivity for everyone in the Northern Tier.”
Rep. Pam Snyder (D- Greene/Allegheny/Fayette/Washington/Westmoreland) co-sponsored the bill.
“In today’s world, fast and affordable broadband is vital to completing everyday tasks,” Snyder said. “Learning, paying bills, visiting the doctor, accessing entertainment — all need reliable internet. The General Assembly came together in a unanimous bipartisan way to give the people what they need.”