Work done by Penn State University helped boost the amount of federal funding the state received for broadband service by more than $100 million, officials said Thursday.
According to the university, the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority contracted Penn State Extension last year to develop and update the state’s broadband service availability maps in order to maximize its federal funding allocation for high-speed internet expansion under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program.
The work done by Penn State Extension helped the state to receive $1.2 billion in funding; an amount officials said is $117 million higher because of Penn State Extension’s work.
Penn State Extension educators were able to develop a spatial analysis and mapping of public broadband and compare it to the Federal Communications Commission map of service availability. The work helped the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority to identify more than 50,000 Pennsylvania availability claims that appeared to be incorrect, and to submit challenges to the FCC over those claims. While the FCC upheld 22,000 of those claims, more than 28,000 were successful, officials said.
“Extension’s mapping effort resulting in more than 100 million additional dollars awarded to Pennsylvania demonstrates its value as a regional, national and international leader and partner, central to Penn State’s land-grant mission of teaching, research and public service,” Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said.
While the average state allocation was just under $743 million, Pennsylvania was one of only 19 states whose funding topped $1 billion, officials said.
Previously, Penn State Extension worked with the state Public Utility Commission on mapping tools that helped the state get nearly $369 million in broadband funding under a different federal program, which the state expects will enable nearly 327,000 state residents to access high-speed internet.