Northhampton News

Gov. Tom Wolf (D-PA) met with U.S. Department of Commerce Under Secretary Jed Kolko at the Marion-Walker Elementary in Centre County last week to discuss the $45 billion initiative called Internet for All.

According to a May 18 release by Wolf, the initiative was created by the Biden-Harris Administration and is intended on providing affordable, reliable, high-speed internet for all Americans by the end of the 2020s. There are three programs involved that are for building internet infrastructure, teaching digital skills and providing the right technology to make sure everyone has full access.

“Lack of broadband hurts Pennsylvanians far and wide—urban and rural. Our lack of consistent, affordable broadband keeps children from learning effectively, businesses from growing, limits job opportunities, and reduces medical care options,” said Wolf. “But soon this will all be history—that we can read online—thanks to the Biden Administration’s continued commitment to improved infrastructure for our combined success.”

In total more than $100 million in federal funds will be used to bring this access to Pennsylvania residents. The funds come from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program. Wolf and the General Assembly worked together in a bipartisan effort to create the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority to prepare for the funding and ensure that the broadband internet is deployed. It was signed into law in December 2021 and is focused on distributing the state and federal funds for broadband in unserved and underserved areas of Pennsylvania.

“President Biden’s Internet for All funding is a game-changer for the hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians who currently lack high-speed internet access,” said Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). “This investment means that families can get connected, kids can do their homework and businesses can grow and thrive. This is the infrastructure law in action, and it’s only the beginning of the hundreds of millions of dollars coming to the commonwealth to better connect Pennsylvanians to the world.”

Wolf has made it a priority to expand internet to unserved or underserved areas of the state, and in 2018 he launched the $35 million Pennsylvania Broadband Investment Incentive Program. Then, in 2021, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development launched the Unserved High-Speed Broadband Funding Program to deploy high speed broadband to unserved areas using $10 million in state funds. There are at least 500,000 Pennsylvanians who do not have broadband.