Connecting the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: A 5-Year Strategy Toward Internet for All

Pennsylvania is home to many diverse communities, a large number of which are disproportionately impacted by various barriers and deficiencies that prevent the attainment of digital equity for residents. To address these barriers and deficiencies, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has developed Connecting the Commonwealth: A Five-Year Strategy Toward Internet for All. This plan, developed by the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), aims to comprehensively assess and resolve the issues regarding broadband access, affordability, and adoption. The Five-Year Plan will guide the PBDA as it ventures to bring a robust, affordable, and equitable broadband ecosystem to all. The PBDA’s findings are founded on direct engagement with residents, businesses, and industry partners. The priorities identified as necessary to achieve this goal are:

• Expand infrastructure across the commonwealth, which comes from identifying areas with the most need and by defining the technical aspects of implementation for services to accurately and equitably build out.
• Collaborate with and support Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs) to provide digital literacy training and community access to high-speed broadband.
• Fortify existing programs throughout communities, where residents are informed of affordability programs and available funding is sought, acquired, and administered by government and community organizations.