Broadband experts key to connecting all of PA to information superhighway
Along with historic investment in visible infrastructure such as roads, bridges and car-charging stations, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes the largest public investment in digital infrastructure in U.S. history.
Read more: How the infrastructure bill impacts Pennsylvania | Bravo Group
It earmarks $65 billion for infrastructure and government programs that would ensure more people than ever — especially in remote and rural Pennsylvania locations — have access to broadband internet service. More than $45 billion of that funding will be in grants for each state to determine the best and most equitable way to deploy the expansion and keep Americans connected to work, education and each other.
Coupled with newly available state funding, this is a critical juncture for Pennsylvania government and local municipalities not just to get the job done but to get it done right. Frankly, that will require a commitment to join with experts in the broadband access market who bring a history of responsible partnership to the table, along with decades of investment in community innovation.
The information superhighway is littered with broadband projects that seemed like a good idea at the time but couldn’t live up to their promise and potential. Take the actual highway to York, Pennsylvania, and you have the story of United Fiber & Data. The company, which once claimed it would create more than 300 jobs and generate over $2 billion in tax revenue for the state, instead became embroiled in lawsuits and scandal that continue to serve as a cautionary tale of promises unfulfilled.
Servicing more than 85,00 miles of high-speed cable to more than 3 million Pennsylvanians, members of the Broadband Cable Association of Pennsylvania (BCAP) are professional builders, operators and managers of cutting-edge broadband networks. Just having funding dumped into the state won’t magically and immediately bring reliable and fast broadband service to every Pennsylvanian. It takes time, a smart plan and a true public-private partnership to succeed.
We need these experienced and trusted voices at the table to help local officials navigate the real-world difficulties, expenses and elaborate planning involved in deploying broadband networks across broad swaths of sparsely populated land – think rural PA and areas bisected by the Turnpike.
The law clearly states that funds must focus on unserved and underserved areas instead of overbuilding areas that already enjoy quality broadband access, but BCAP members have already warned that expanding access is not a “shovel-ready” project that makes for overnight photo ops. Concerns from design and engineering to weather and skilled labor availability need to be factored into the process.
Ownership restrictions and open-access mandates also need to be addressed. Operators who have put their own skin in the game to operate, manage, maintain and be on the hook for future upgrades shouldn’t be denied ownership or required to share carriage on proprietary networks.
A true public-private partnership that marries market-based solutions and knowledge with public funding will erase the economic issues that have created these digital deserts and provide Pennsylvanians the access to live a full, digitally connected life in the near future.
