Testimony of Jody Rainey

Principal, Homer-Center Junior/Senior High School

Fire Chief, Cherryhill Township Volunteer Fire Company

Pennsylvania House Communications & Technology Committee

Broadband Affordability and Adoption

Chairman Ciresi and distinguished members of the House Communications & Technology Committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today.

My name is Jody Rainey, and I serve as Principal of Homer-Center Junior/Senior High School in Indiana County. I also have the privilege of serving as Fire Chief of the Cherryhill Township Volunteer Fire Company. Throughout my career in education and public safety, one truth has become increasingly clear: reliable, affordable broadband is no longer a convenience for rural Pennsylvania; it is essential infrastructure.

Broadband internet access influences whether a student can complete an assignment, whether a family can access healthcare, whether a volunteer firefighter can complete required training, whether first responders can communicate effectively during an emergency, and whether a rural community can fully participate in today's economy.

I appreciate the opportunity to share my perspective from both education and public safety.

For more than thirty years as an educator and more than forty years as a volunteer firefighter, I have watched technology fundamentally change how we teach, how we learn, how we communicate, and how we respond to emergencies. Broadband has become the thread that connects all of those things.

When I began my career in education in 1992 through the Jobs for Pennsylvania Graduates program, technology looked very different. My responsibility was helping economically disadvantaged students develop employability skills and build connections with local employers. Success depended on helping students gain access to opportunities that might otherwise not have existed.

Today, broadband has become one such opportunity.

Technology has fundamentally changed education. Learning no longer ends when the dismissal bell rings. At Homer-Center, our teachers post daily lessons, assignments, instructional materials, and resources online so students can continue learning whether they are absent because of illness, surgery, family obligations, college visits, athletic competitions, or other school-sponsored activities. That simple expectation has transformed the continuity of learning for our students.

As a principal, I have seen a direct relationship between absenteeism and academic performance. Every day a student misses school increases the likelihood that he or she will fall behind. Providing online access to classroom instruction allows students to stay connected to their learning, reduces the burden of make-up work, and gives them a much better chance of success.

Unfortunately, that opportunity is not available equally to every student.

One of the most difficult memories I have from the COVID-19 pandemic was seeing families sitting in vehicles outside our school after hours so their children could connect to our Wi-Fi and complete assignments. While the pandemic exposed the problem, it did not create it. The reality is that many rural families continue to face those same challenges today.

At Homer-Center, more than half of our students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Many of those families make difficult financial decisions every month. For them, broadband is not competing with cable television or entertainment—it is competing with groceries, utilities, gasoline, prescription medications, and other household necessities.

Even families who have internet service often struggle with affordability. The question isn't simply whether they have internet access; it's whether they can afford service reliable and fast enough to support multiple children completing homework while parents work remotely or access online services at the same time.

In other areas of our district, the challenge isn't affordability—it is availability. Families simply do not have access to dependable broadband, regardless of what they are willing to pay.

As educators, we ask every student to achieve at high levels. We should also ensure that every student has the same opportunity to access the tools necessary for success. A student's ZIP code or family income should never determine whether they can fully participate in their education.

Broadband is equally important to public safety.

As Fire Chief of the Cherryhill Township Volunteer Fire Company, I see recruiting and retaining volunteers as one of our greatest challenges. The men and women who serve our communities are balancing careers, families, and countless other responsibilities before they ever respond to an emergency call.

For many years, firefighter certification required volunteers to attend weeks of in-person evening classroom sessions. For working adults, this often became a barrier to entering or remaining in the fire service.

Pennsylvania's move toward hybrid firefighter education has been one of the most encouraging changes I have seen. Volunteers can now complete appropriate portions of their classroom instruction online while still receiving the essential hands-on practical training that our profession demands.

Speaking personally, that flexibility has made a tremendous difference. As someone balancing responsibilities as both a school principal and a volunteer fire chief, I have had to miss training opportunities due to work obligations. Hybrid learning has allowed me—and many of the volunteers I serve alongside—to continue our professional development without sacrificing our commitment to our employers or our families.

Since these hybrid opportunities have become available, I have already seen more members of our department register for training.

However, that progress depends on affordable, reliable broadband. When firefighters cannot access online coursework from home, the opportunity is diminished. We have invested in providing internet access at our fire station so members can complete training there if necessary, but every volunteer should be able to continue learning from home.

Broadband also strengthens emergency response itself. Increasingly, emergency communications, mapping systems, incident information, weather resources, and coordination among responders depend upon reliable internet connectivity. The stronger our communications infrastructure, the better equipped we are to protect the citizens we serve.

Our region also stands on the threshold of tremendous opportunity.

The Homer City Redevelopment Project has the potential to transform our area into a hub for energy production, data centers, advanced technology, and economic growth. These developments offer exciting possibilities for rural Pennsylvania.

But those opportunities will increasingly depend upon digital connectivity.

If we want our students to remain in our communities after graduation, if we want businesses to invest in rural Pennsylvania, if we want families to build their futures here, then affordable, reliable broadband must be part of that future.

Innovation should not stop at the edge of a town or at the end of a rural road.

Throughout my career—as an educator, school board member, volunteer firefighter, fire chief, and community leader—I have learned that every important investment we make is ultimately an investment in people.

Broadband is no different.

It is not simply about technology. It is about opportunity. It is about whether a child has the same educational opportunities regardless of where they live, whether a volunteer firefighter has access to life-saving training, whether a family can connect to healthcare, and whether a rural community can participate fully in Pennsylvania's future.

Reliable, affordable broadband has become as essential to rural communities today as electricity, safe roads, and dependable public infrastructure were to previous generations.

Every Pennsylvanian deserves that opportunity.

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people in the U.S. have access to competitive, High-Performance Broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We believe communication policy - rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity - has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities.

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Broadband Delivers Opportunities and Strengthens Communities