Centre County is taking the next step to bring high-speed internet service to thousands of unserved and underserved homes and businesses.
The Board of Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved issuing a request for proposals (RFP) from internet service providers to expand broadband service to priority areas identified in the recent countywide broadband study and strategic plan.
Proposals selected by the county for partnership will be seeking some of the more than $200 million in grants from federal American Rescue Plan Act funding that will be made available statewide for broadband projects through the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority. Guidelines for the program were released this month and applications open in May.
Elizabeth Lose, assistant director of planning and community development, said this RFP is “atypical” for the county, which most often would put out a request or bid invitation for improvements to facilities it owns and operates.
“In this case we’re asking internet providers to come forward with a real rural broadband expansion project of the facilities and infrastructure that they would own, operate and manage through a project that the county could possibly support,” Lose said.
The county will receive proposals and determine “what we could reasonably support and what form, what shape that would take.”
The RFP was put online Tuesday with a submission deadline of May 26. Proposals will be selected by June 6.
Grant requests must be submitted to the broadband authority by July 10, and a local match of 25% of the grant award will be required. Board of Commissioners Chair Mark Higgins said the match “will be additional conversations between the ISPs, the county, the municipalities and potentially the school districts.”
A county broadband study conducted with CTC Technology identified approximately 7,900 addresses that are unserved or underserved by wireline broadband. Approximately 4,300 addresses in large, contiguous areas are unserved, while about 3,600 addresses are considered underserved, according to the study.
Priority areas identified by the study are divided into three priority zones that include portions of the north, central and southeastern parts of the county.
Unserved areas, according to the study, include:
- Most of the northern part of the county north of Route 80
- The area from Beaver Road stretching to the western boundary and south to Sandy Ridge
- Geographically isolated northern areas flanking the Nittany Valley to the northeast edge of the county
- The northeast corner of the County along the Union County border
- Areas south of Penns Valley along the Mifflin County border
Underserved areas include:
- The town of Clarence reaching west along Elm Road/Kylertown Drifting Highway and Pine Glen Road/Route 879
- The west side of Bald Eagle Mountain from Walker Hollow Road south to Yeager Hollow Road
- An area between Appalachian Highway and Nittany Valley Road from Snydertown to Axemann
- Spring Creek Canyon
- Pockets surrounding Penn State’s University Park campus
- The west side of Bald Eagle Mountain from Walker Hollow Road south to Yeager Hollow
Road - An area between Appalachian Highway and Nittany Valley Road from Snydertown to
Axemann - Spring Creek Canyon
- Pockets surrounding Penn State University’s University Park campus
“When I have talked to people around the county, rural broadband needs have been something critical that I think pretty much every citizen who lives in an underserved area or knows folks who do understands how important this is for economic development and for education,” Commissioner Amber Concepcion said.
Providers will be asked to target the identified priority areas, Lose said, and the service must be able to serve at least 80% of unserved and underserved addresses in the proposed project area.
During the broadband study process, the county engaged nine internet providers and “five or six” have expressed interest in working on a partnership to expand service, according to Lose.
“So it is very feasible that we could receive five, six or seven different proposals that we could all collectively look at and consider,” Lose said. “From that point then the ISP would submit that application to the authority, given that the county can support that. Once it gets to the authority, I don’t want to use the adage that it’s out of our hands, but it’s up to them if it’s a really good proposal that can be advanced.”
She added that it’s possible three broadband expansion projects could get underway at once, depending on funding.
“I think that would be great,” Lose said. “It’s going to be a lot to manage, but the county as a partner wouldn’t have that heavy lift in that application process. But we would still certainly play a role to get that project off the ground.”
According to the grant program guidelines, the minimum request that will be considered is $500,000 and the maximum is $10 million.
Commissioner Steve Dershem commended Lose and the planning office for moving quickly once state guideline were released and for “going from a plan on the shelf to a project that is going to put internet in people’s homes. That’s really what the crux of this is.”
Higgins noted that as the proposals move toward the grant application, letters of support will be sought from community members, municipalities, small businesses, granges and school districts.
“I think within reason the more letters of support the more weight the application will receive,” Higgins said.
Commissioners also unanimously approved a professional services agreement with CTC Technology not to exceed $7,500 to provide consultation services for the broadband expansion RFP. Lose said CTC will provide assistance with technical aspects and help to manage multiple proposals.
