Eight Pennsylvania Counties Join Forces to Improve Regional Connectivity

Local officials in eight mostly-rural counties in southwest Pennsylvania are combining efforts to determine first, what connectivity is available and, second, what can be done to improve it. Westmoreland, Fayette, Cambria, Somerset, Blair, Bedford, Huntingdon, and Fulton counties have been working with consulting firm Design Nine to develop a survey to share with residents in the region. Initial estimations show that six percent of folks in the region live in places without wired broadband Internet access. While the Regional Broadband Task Force is seeking data about connections consistent with the Federal Communications Commission's definition of "broadband,” business owners and operators in the area believe those speeds are outdated. At a recent kick-off meeting for stakeholders, economic development professionals attended and expressed the concerns of the business sector. James Smith, president of the Greensburg-based Economic Growth Connection, argued that the 25 mbps benchmark is outdated as a connectivity goal, especially for businesses. “I’ve got businesses telling me if they don’t have a (gigabit per second), it’s not sufficient,” he said. “This is a business necessity moving forward, just like electricity. If we don’t have the ability to offer that, we’re going to lose.” Smith cited connectivity issues at a business incubator in New Kensington. “They do very large video files,” he said. “They cannot move those files right now to the clients they need to move them to.” Discussion at the meeting included conversations about how lack of broadband is affecting local farms, loss of population, and possible local investment.