Shapiro Visits Centre County to Announce Major Funding for High-Speed Internet Expansion

Gov. Josh Shapiro joined state and local officials at Bald Eagle Area Middle and High School on Friday to announced $448 million in grants awarded across the commonwealth to expand high-speed internet access, including $29 million for projects in Centre and Mifflin counties.

The money for 41 projects serving 50 counties represents the first round of awards from Pennsylvania’s $711 million in federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funding approved by the the National Telecommunications and Information Administration earlier this year. The BEAD program was established and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.

In Centre and Mifflin counties, about 3,000 homes and businesses will be connected through BEAD-funded projects by Centre WISP, Brightspeed and Verizon.

Shapiro said the funding represents a major new step in closing the digital divide hampering underserved communities, particularly rural ones like the Bald Eagle Area School District where about 20% of students don’t have reliable access to high-speed internet at home.

“And for a whole lot of additional students beyond that 20%, they have internet, but oftentimes it’s not affordable and it’s not reliable,” Shapiro said. “The connections can be unstable; it goes in and out, and it’s not strong enough to be able to video or chat online, which makes it hard to collaborate with others. That’s not fair, and it stymies opportunity. And I’m here today to tell you we are correcting this imbalance and making real strides when it comes to connecting all Pennsylvanians.”

Since 2022, state initiatives to connect Pennsylvania communities have reduced the number of households lacking high-speed internet access by about 60%, from 330,000 to 133,000, About 3,200 homes and businesses in Centre County were connected.

BEAD funding will help connect the remaining locations by 2030, Shapiro said. His administration on Friday launched pa.gov/connectpa, which offers a map where residents can see when the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority expects their area will be connected.

“This is a problem that lingered for too long,” Shapiro said. “This is a problem that existed for years that a whole lot of people talked about. And here in the Shapiro-Davis administration, we’re solving this problem. We’re connecting people to high-speed internet, and most importantly, we’re creating more opportunity for communities that, for too long, have been left behind.”

In Centre County, BEAD funding will speed up closing the gap following local efforts to connect communities.

A 2021 study showed that more than 8,000 addresses in Centre County did not have reliable broadband internet access and “we’ve been closing that gap one project at a time,” Board of Commissioners Chair Mark Higgins said, with initiatives in Penns and Brush valleys and the Mountaintop area.

“Now the BEAD program is taking us much further,” Higgins said. “Reliable internet means kids and young people can do their homework, and parents can see their doctors, and small businesses can compete statewide, nationally and internationally.”

Greg Scott, president and CEO of the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County, said that for economic development, high-speed internet is not merely a convenience, it is “essential infrastructure.”

“It affects where businesses can locate and grow, where people can live and work, how students learn, and whether entrepreneurs and small businesses in our rural communities have the same opportunity to compete as those anywhere else,” Scott said. “… One of our priorities of economic development work is making sure that opportunity extends throughout the entire county. We talk frequently about roads, air service, utilities, housing sites. When discussing economic competitiveness, broadband belongs on that same list.”

Katie Kingera, a Bald Eagle Area High School counselor, said she sees firsthand how access to reliable broadband can impact rural students.

Some “are doing everything they can to succeed,” but even completing homework can be a challenge because they don’t have access to high-speed internet at home. The district has students who have to use a cell phone for a hotspot, she said, or rush to complete homework in study halls because they know they won’t have internet access to do so at home.

That lack of access also puts rural students at a disadvantage for completing college applications, taking part in dual enrollment courses, exploring careers and otherwise broadening their education.

“As educators, we want our students to be judged by their effort, their abilities, their potential, not by whether their family has access to reliable internet at home,” Kingera said. “Every rural student deserves an equal opportunity to learn and to prepare for their future, and reliable broadband is an important part of making that opportunity happen.”

State Rep. Paul Takac, D-College Township, whose district includes the Bald Eagle School District, said a lack of reliable and affordable high-speed internet is one of the most common concerns he hears from rural constituents.

“It limits connectivity and potential markets for local businesses,” Takac said. “It restricts educational and learning opportunities. And it prevents or complicates some healthcare solutions like telehealth, which could otherwise be used. And when combined with limited cell phone service and coverage, it can be a serious barrier for public safety.

“The lack of high-speed internet isolates individuals and communities in our interconnected world, and that is why today’s announcement of this BEAD funding is so important and exciting for our rural and underserved communities, not only here in Centre County but across our entire commonwealth.”

Shapiro, meanwhile, said Friday’s announcement marked “a big day for Pennsylvania.”

“We’re ending the digital divide and we’re connecting everyone to high-speed, affordable internet,” he said. “… We chose to be here in Centre County [because] this is really the epicenter of a lot of work that’s gone into this effort.”