Shapiro Administration Invests $204 Million in Federal Funding to Provide 40,000 Homes and Businesses Affordable and Reliable High-Speed Internet Across

The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) approved $204 million in Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP) grant awards to 53 projects in 42 counties across Pennsylvania that will connect 40,000 homes and businesses, bringing high-speed internet to over 100,000 Pennsylvanians. The grants, awarded to businesses and non-profits, will be matched by more than $200 million in private investment. The combined investment of more than $400 million will expand broadband in unserved and underserved areas of the Commonwealth. Funded through the federal Capital Projects Fund, the BIP awards grants for line extension and development projects, as well as large-scale regional infrastructure projects. Upon completion, projects must deliver service that meets or exceeds symmetrical download and upload speeds of 100 Megabits per second, with prioritization given to fiber-optic deployment. Projects are also required to include a viable sustainability strategy to maintain, repair, and upgrade existing networks to ensure their continued operation. Currently, 95 percent of the unserved and underserved households and businesses in Pennsylvania are in rural areas. Among the 42 Pennsylvania counties and more than 40,000 homes and businesses that will be served by these projects, rural areas in Adams, Blair, Cambria, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Perry, Mercer, McKean, Schuylkill, and Somerset will benefit from increased access and connectivity.