State Sen. Gene Yaw
Late last year, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed two pieces of legislation that will help deploy broadband to our state’s rural areas. Act 98 of 2020 relaxed restrictions on the ability of Pennsylvania electric cooperatives, cable companies and other entities to attach broadband units to existing utility poles. Act 132 of 2020 provided about $5 million in funding for nongovernmental groups to install broadband across underserved areas of Pennsylvania.
We can all agree that this is good news for our rural communities and residents, many of whom are without high-speed broadband internet service. But more still needs to be done to ensure that this essential service is available, and affordable, for all of our rural residents.