Broadband bill unanimously passes Pennsylvania House, Senate
The Pennsylvania Senate unanimously passed a bill this week that expands broadband access throughout the commonwealth.
When Gov. Tom Wolf signs the bill 无毛视频� cosponsored by state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson 无毛视频� into law, it will mark the creation of Pennsylvania无毛视频檚 first-ever broadband committee.
无毛视频淚 am so excited and proud to say this bill passed both chambers of the General Assembly without a single negative vote,无毛视频� Snyder said in a news release Wednesday. 无毛视频淔or too long, we have talked about the need for broadband without action. That inaction ended this week.无毛视频�
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a need for broadband access nationwide. Remote learning and working was made more challenging to those in areas with spotty or no internet, a fact of life for many throughout Washington, Greene and Fayette counties.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e not talking about internet just to have cable. We无毛视频檙e talking about kids in Zoom 无毛视频� they couldn无毛视频檛 see their teacher, they couldn无毛视频檛 do their assignments,无毛视频� said John Timney, executive director of the Washington County Authority, who is spearheading the county无毛视频檚 Rural Broadband Initiative. 无毛视频淏roadband and internet and WIFI are becoming a utility. They are becoming as important 无毛视频� as water, sewage, electricity and gas. We all recognize that. We just haven无毛视频檛 had the opportunity to serve these rural areas.无毛视频�
The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority will use its budget of at least $100 million budget 无毛视频� funded through federal aid and the Jobs Act 无毛视频� to construct new towers and lines, bringing broadband to underserved and rural populations across the state.
无毛视频淭his is a positive for the future, as far as implementing avenues to get more funding down to the counties,无毛视频� said Greene County commissioner Chairman Mike Belding. 无毛视频淚 hope they figure out how to fairly get it out to the counties that are less represented by population. That has not happened, to be quite honest. One of our hopes is it becomes more equitable for rural counties.无毛视频�
There is no county in Pennsylvania where at least half the population has access to the internet at the minimum speeds set by the Federal Communications Commission, according to a 2019 study by Penn State University.
And a study published last year by Reimagine Appalachia reported a majority of Pennsylvania counties have a median download speed of less than 30 megabits per second; the FCC recommends download speeds of 100 megabits.
Belding said too often, funding is distributed to more densely populated areas across the state, like Allegheny and Philadelphia. That leaves rural counties, which require more money to construct broadband infrastructure, to fend for themselves.
无毛视频淭he concern is if you do things by population, it无毛视频檚 not fair to the rural counties, particularly if they无毛视频檙e falling behind or have been behind. Regionally, people are looking at artificial intelligent and robotics. Greene County is still trying to get clean drinking water,无毛视频� Belding said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 not a complaint; it无毛视频檚 just a fact.无毛视频�
Timney, too, acknowledges that government funding, like the American Recovery and CARES acts, isn无毛视频檛 evenly distributed amongst counties nationwide. He无毛视频檚 not sure what to expect from this new broadband legislation.
无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 know how that money is going to get to us,无毛视频� he said.
Greene County took expanding internet access into its own hands nearly a decade ago when Snyder was elected. The county applied for and received numerous grants and partnered with broadband providers to make internet access a reality.
Since then, Washington and Fayette counties have followed suit, and all three counties are working to expand broadband to their residents. Timney is leading the charge in Washington County, and views recent legislation as a win for broadband expansion.
无毛视频淭o show me a group of representatives that is unanimous 无毛视频� the way I see it is a vote of confidence,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淏roadband 无毛视频� it无毛视频檚 that important.无毛视频�
Belding agrees that the passage of the legislation is a major step in the right direction of internet for all, starting with rural areas.
无毛视频淭his looks like an opportunity to catch up or be even with some of our more developed neighbors,无毛视频� said Belding.