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New maps will help decide where up to $1 billion in federal money goes for Pa.
broadband expansion





NEW MAPS WILL HELP DECIDE WHERE UP TO $1 BILLION IN FEDERAL MONEY GOES FOR PA.
BROADBAND EXPANSION

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Charlotte Keith  |  Spotlight PA

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What's in the new infrastructure bill? Lawmakers pass massive spending package
The new infrastructure deal has passed the Senate, with billions in new spending
on roads, bridges, rail, broadband and electric vehicles.
Staff video, USA TODAY


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HARRISBURG — As Pennsylvania prepares for an anticipated flood of federal
funding to improve broadband access, the state must first resolve a basic and
yet surprisingly thorny challenge: pinpointing where high-speed internet is
still unavailable.

Almost everyone agrees that the federal government’s current broadband maps are
deeply inaccurate — a longstanding source of frustration for advocates,
government officials, and internet users.

According to the most recent data from the Federal Communications Commission, 4%
of Pennsylvanians can’t get internet access at broadband speeds — currently
defined by the federal government as download speeds of at least 25 megabits per
second and upload speeds of at least 3 megabits per second. That number rises to
13% in rural areas. But those figures, released last year, almost certainly
undercount the problem.




Another often-cited estimate from BroadbandNow, a website that lets users
compare internet plans, puts the number of Pennsylvanians without broadband at
more than twice the FCC’s number.




NEW BROADBAND MAPS BY NOVEMBER

Now, after a series of delays, the FCC is slated to unveil new broadband maps in
November.

It’s a huge and complex undertaking with high stakes: The updated maps will
dictate how much money Pennsylvania will receive from the federal government
through a major new grant program, as well as which areas within the state will
get priority for the funding.



“It’s unfortunate that the new map is hitting at the same time as the grant
process — that’s just very poor timing,” said Doug Dawson, president of CCG
Consulting, a national telecommunications consulting firm.

The new maps will still be based on data reported to the FCC by internet service
providers, but that information will be more granular, and, officials say, more
accurate, than in previous versions. Another change: local governments will be
able to challenge the new maps if a provider reports to the FCC that broadband
speeds are available at a particular location but residents disagree.



If local governments don’t use this challenge process, some areas without
broadband could lose their chance at a slice of the new funding, Dawson said.




WHAT ABOUT PENNSYLVANIA'S COUNTY-BY-COUNTY BROADBAND MAPS?

In Pennsylvania, some counties are better prepared than others.

Beaver County has already developed detailed maps of the areas that can’t get
broadband, an effort that began before the pandemic and has given county
officials a “very clear picture” of where service is lacking, said Lance Grable,
director of the county’s Office of Planning and Redevelopment.

The county relied on sophisticated computer analysis, door-to-door surveys, and
hundreds of internet speed tests submitted by residents, Grable said. Officials
also compared notes with internet service providers and dispatched contractors
to document the infrastructure that already existed — like whether a house was
relying on satellite internet, which is often less reliable than other
technologies.

It’s now up to the state Broadband Development Authority to collect and
synthesize the piecemeal data that already exist and fill any gaps.




“There’s a lot of data out there but we’re not looking at any one comprehensive
picture,” said Lisa Schaefer, executive director of the County Commissioners
Association of Pennsylvania and a member of the state Broadband Authority’s
newly created subcommittee on data and mapping. “It’s time we get it all on the
table and figure out what we’re working with.”

Brandon Carson, the authority’s executive director, said the agency is looking
at “all the options” for compiling its own maps. “We’re still talking through
exactly what that strategy will look like,” he said.

If Pennsylvania doesn’t collect its own data to push back on any inaccuracies in
the new maps, the state could lose out on millions of dollars in federal
funding, experts warned at a hearing in May organized by the Center for Rural
Pennsylvania, a state agency that researches policy for the General Assembly.

The federal government’s own delays on the new maps have given Pennsylvania “a
last-minute reprieve,” said Sascha Meinrath, a professor at Penn State and lead
author of two major reports on the state’s broadband woes, during his testimony
at the hearing. “We have one more opportunity to more accurately document the
haves and have nots.”



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