Chair Ciresi, Chair Ortitay, and Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to present today on the importance of affordable, high-speed broadband in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is an honor to be here and share my research on broadband policy and the digital divide with you and the committee.

I speak as an individual expert in this field and not on behalf of my employer, Penn State University.

In my time today, I want to share recommendations for broadband policy improvement in our Commonwealth. These recommendations stem primarily from a white paper authored by myself and colleagues at the Pennsylvania Broadband Research Institute called The Cost of Inaction: Pennsylvania’s Broken Broadband Governance and the Path Forward. 

I first want to set the scene by telling you what I heard from a rural firefighter who participated in a focus group I held for a project sponsored by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania about how the lack of internet impacts first responders and public safety in rural Pennsylvania:

This quote has stayed with me since I heard it last summer, because it encapsulates the dire need for meaningful, affordable, connectivity throughout the Commonwealth, but especially in rural, remote, and low-income areas, where broadband is either too expensive or completely unavailable. Lack of broadband impacts everything from education to public safety. I want to be clear: This risks the lives of the public and our first responders alike. One Pennsylvania community member I spoke with for my forthcoming book on the subject called the lack of broadband in his community a “cancer.”

I use my remaining time to offer six recommendations based on research that I have conducted on broadband and the digital divide. These recommendations seek to improve broadband access and affordability, along with computer ownership and digital skills training in the Commonwealth.

1) State Broadband Office

Presently, the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) is responsible for creating the NTIA-mandated state broadband plan, the BEAD proposal, and the Digital Equity Plan, and for distributing federal and state funds. It is also scheduled to close in 2031 or after its funding has been meted out.

Research from the nonpartisan Pew Research Center has documented the importance of state broadband offices to successful state digital equity and inclusion goals. The most successful offices are more than simply pass-throughs for federal dollars, but instead act as information exchanges, best-practice developers, policymakers, and funders. To this effect, I strongly recommend that the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority be made permanent and the General Assembly abolish the 2031 sunset.

Furthermore, I recommend that the mandate of the office grow to incorporate not only the awarding of federal dollars, but broadband policy planning, information gathering and research, best-practice sharing, networking, and distributing state funds, modeling the best of broadband offices in states like Minnesota, Vermont, and Virginia.

I also suggest that Pennsylvania allocate state funding towards broadband infrastructure and digital inclusion programs, rather than rely on federal funds. The best state broadband programs put their money where their mouths are. Funding, for instance, could go towards supporting fiber build-outs in communities where only fixed wireless and/or satellite exist, creating a Commonwealth-wide low-income subsidy, and programs for device access and technical support. The PBDA has had great success with a device access program using federal funds, so there is precedent.

All state programs, including those using federal funds, should have meaningful impact assessments with definitive ideas around “success” and “failure.”

2) Be a Leader

During my fieldwork for my latest book on the digital divide, I heard about the fear and shame that comes with an inability to use the internet or a computer. We need to meet these people where they are with dignity and support, and these funds can help create sustainable programs to meet these goals.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration promised Pennsylvania over $1 billion in funding from the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program. Pennsylvania pledged to spend $700 million of this allotment, leaving approximately $400 million hanging in the balance. On top of this, according to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, Pennsylvania was in line to receive at least $65.2 million from the Digital Equity Act. That’s over $450 million in federal funds that Pennsylvania should have access to but is not fighting for. This inaction is denying PA taxpayers money rightfully guaranteed to them. I recommend the Commonwealth take a bolder approach to securing its rightful funds to support digital equity and inclusion programs.

3) Make It Affordable

I join my colleagues at KIC in recommending that the Commonwealth follow New York State's lead in mandating that broadband providers serving a certain user base offer a meaningful low-cost tier to eligible households. While affordability programs, like the now-defunct Affordable Connectivity Program and state programs like California’s Lifeline program, are successful, they do not address the fundamental issue: Broadband is too expensive in this country, and Pennsylvania is no exception. This is unforgivable for a utility that is the basis of modern life and a state where 12% of the population lives below the poverty line. We need to make broadband affordable in Pennsylvania.

4) Remove Barriers to Municipal Broadband

Pennsylvania has the unfortunate status of being one of only 16 states that presently prohibit, or in our case, inhibit the ability of municipalities to fund and create their own broadband networks. This law inhibits free and fair competition by denying local communities a voice in their own digital destinies. Study after study has demonstrated that municipal broadband projects offer faster speeds at lower rates and show greater commitment to their local communities than national competitors. I strongly recommend the repeal of the legal roadblocks to municipal broadband to allow community ingenuity to flourish.

5) Prioritize Future-Proof Infrastructure over Short-Term, Lower-Cost Technologies

There is no doubt that fiber optics are the best broadband infrastructure for this country. Fiber optics can handle a near-unlimited amount of data and can be divided for use in everything from homes to universities. Any new broadband policies developed by the Commonwealth must have a fiber-first priority, and the Commonwealth should seriously consider a permanent fund to assist the 18% of areas that received BEAD funding for something other than fiber.

6) Take a Holistic View on the Digital Divide

I applaud the PBDA for centering the idea of “digital dignity” in Pennsylvania’s digital equity plan. After all, this is what these programs are meant to do: support people, not technologies, or companies. To build on this moment, my final recommendation is that any and all new policy developments regarding the digital divide come from a holistic perspective, where it is not only infrastructure that is considered, but that infrastructure is joined by affordability, device access, skills, and support to ensure that every Pennsylvanian can thrive in the digital age.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to your questions.

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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