Broadband is Key to Pennsylvania's Future

A years-long debate slowed progress in the Keystone State, but in September 2022, Gov. Tom Wolf (D-PA) announced that $500 million from the American Rescue Plan Act will go to local governments to invest in infrastructure, including broadband, accelerating the Commonwealth's efforts to close the digital divide. Up to $1 billion of federal funding can potentially be spent on broadband expansion. However, a 2004 law restricts local governments from building their own broadband networks. During the 2022 gubernatorial election, eventual winner and former-Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D-PA) said he would prioritize expanding quality and affordable access to broadband in rural regions of the state by supporting the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, and establishing comprehensive subsidies for low-income households with high internet prices. [Shapiro was part of a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general who in 2017 opposed a petition from the broadband industry to stop states from enforcing false advertising laws on internet speeds.]