Pennsylvania labor law could become sticking point between state and NTIA with $711 million for broadband at stake

A federal official recently added a new wrinkle to Pennsylvania’s plan to use more than $700 million to expand high-speed internet access across the commonwealth. Speaking at a conference, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Arielle Roth, head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said Pennsylvania is “driving up costs” by classifying fiber-optic technicians as electrical workers under the state’s prevailing wage law. As a condition of receiving the money, Pennsylvania will have to change the way it classifies those workers, she said. If that condition becomes a sticking point between Pennsylvania and the federal government, or the subject of legal challenges, it could further delay the rollout of $711 million dollars to connect homes and businesses across rural Pennsylvania.