Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority Vote Puts Federal Funding at Risk

On Thursday, April 10, the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority Board of Directors voted on proposed guidelines for the PBDA’s Digital Skills and Community Capacity Program. The program, funded by the federal Digital Equity Act’s State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, will provide $25 million for digital inclusion programs in the Keystone State. The eleven-member board voted 9-1 to approve the guidelines, with one abstention. However, the guidelines required a qualified majority to pass, meaning if any of the four state representatives on the board did not approve, the guidelines would not pass. The one “no” vote was State Rep. Carl Metzgar (R-PA-69), meaning the program guidelines were not approved. The Board can still vote to advance the Digital Skills and Community Capacity Program, but time is of the essence. If the Board does not allow this process to begin soon, the PBDA could miss federal deadlines and lose access to its Digital Equity funding.