The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recently awarded Pennsylvania more than $1.16 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding to expand broadband in unserved and underserved areas.
“An estimated 15 percent of Pennsylvania lacks high-speed internet, including communities in PA-07 – so I’m thrilled that our Commonwealth is receiving over a billion dollars in investments in broadband internet projects,” U.S. Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) said. “I’ve heard from rural communities in my district about the detrimental impact that slow, spotty, or non-existent internet connection has on them. In a time when we use internet for everything from school to telemedicine to government services, everyone needs access to reliable, high-speed broadband to reach their full economic potential.”
The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, an independent, bipartisan agency, will administer funding.
The authority worked with Penn State Extension to identify more than 50,000 locations statewide lacking access to high-speed internet that weren’t included in the federal government’s initial survey. The Federal Communications Commission has upheld more than 28,000 of those challenges.
Currently, the authority is working to complete a five-year action plan for Pennsylvania’s BEAD allocation. The plan must be submitted to NTIA by Aug. 12. The agency will release funding next year following approval of the plan.