rural-broadband

‘The internet is no longer a luxury’: $667M from USDA for rural broadband

BY: - August 21, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend another $667 million on rural broadband loans and grants, the department said Monday, marking the fourth round of Biden administration funding under a program that the 2021 infrastructure law invigorated. Nearly three-quarters of the funding, $493 million, will go toward grants, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on a […]

BROADBAND LOADING

Experts: Pennsylvania missed identifying thousands of unserved internet areas

BY: - June 1, 2023

The Broadband Development Authority could cause the state to lose out on millions in federal funding by failing to identify broadband needs.

OLDER PERSON COMPUTER ART

Pa. Broadband Authority seeks public input on community engagement

BY: - February 28, 2023

The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, a 12-member independent agency of the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), opened a two-week public comment period on Monday to gather feedback on how to engage communities in the process of developing two plans: the State Digital Equity Stakeholder Engagement Plan and the Commonwealth’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Five-Year Action Plan.

Pa. broadband authority presents plan to improve high-speed internet access, infrastructure

BY: - November 30, 2022

The plan noted that approximately “2.6 million Pennsylvania residents in 1.3 million, or 26 percent of households—including 25 percent of Latino and 35 percent of Black American Households —either do not have access to or have not adopted high-speed broadband or may lack the skills to effectively use it.”

OLDER PERSON COMPUTER ART

USDA to spend $500M extending high-speed internet to rural America

BY: - September 26, 2022

The current funding stream was targeted to upgrade existing infrastructure, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

COMMENTARY

Wolf: Pa. counties, cities to benefit from $14.2M in CARES Act grant money | Tuesday Morning Coffee

BY: - February 15, 2022

Projects ranging from broadband expansion in Fayette County to housing rehab in Lawrence County will benefit from the cash.

General Assembly sends Wolf bill creating new Pa. broadband authority

BY: - December 15, 2021

Areas that receive the funding must have download speeds of less than 100 megabits per- second, and upload speeds of 20 megabits per-second — a new, high standard championed by lawmakers in Washington D.C.

COMMENTARY

Report: States, incl. Pa., take varied approaches to broadband funding | Wednesday Morning Coffee

BY: - December 15, 2021

Most state broadband expansion programs emphasize unserved areas, but eligibility, funding requirements, and accountability measures vary, according to a new report by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

COMMENTARY

Is your state ready to handle the influx of federal funds for expanding broadband? | Opinion

BY: - December 5, 2021

Digital equity means ensuring that every community has adequate access to the technologies and skills needed to fully participate in society.

New law could expand 5G’s reach in Pa.

BY: - July 6, 2021

At least 25 states have approved legislation smoothing a path for 5G technology, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

COMMENTARY

SWPA lawmaker’s bill would create new Pa. broadband authority, expand access | Monday Morning Coffee

BY: - February 1, 2021

With millions of Pa. residents working and learning from home 'all Pennsylvanians need affordable access to high-speed broadband internet,' Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Fayette, says.

FCC broadband program brings SpaceX, other telecommunications companies to Pa.

BY: - December 9, 2020

The auction, part of the first phase of the project, allocated $9.2 billion to telecommunications companies in 49 states and the Northern Mariana Islands.