Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority Receiving Funding: What's Available Now and What's Next?

On March 1^st, 2024, according to the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, more than 276,000 households, businesses, schools, and libraries do not have access to broadband internet (PBDA, 2024a). For practices with patients who struggle with access to the internet due to living in a rural area or being unable to afford the internet, progress and hope have been made to help resolve these issues.

Pennsylvania, secured $20 million in American Rescue Plan Capital Project (ARPCP) Funding to provide technology devices such as laptops for distribution to schools, libraries, and other non-profits that can provide these devices to underserved individuals (PBDA, 2024a). The ARPCP funding will be dispersed to the PBDA to purchase and distribute. In addition to this funding, they were approved for $1.16 billion in Broadband Equity Access and Development (BEAD) rural broadband funding (PBDA, 2024b). Finally, the PBDA approved $204 million in federal funding through the Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP) grant awards to 53 projects that’ll provide 40,000 Homes and Businesses with affordable and reliable high-speed internet across the state (PBDA, 2024c). The grant is supposed to be matched by more than $200 million in private investment making this investment over $400 million to expand broadband to unserved and underserved areas in Pennsylvania (PBDA, 2024c).

In the 2020 Census for Pennsylvania, 3.4 million people, or 26 percent of Pennsylvania’s residents, lived in one of the 48 rural counties in the state (Center for Rural Health, 2024). The need for Pennsylvania and its residents for affordable, accessible, and reliable internet is there, and the investment by both the state and federal governments is very active to assist in the implementation of broadband internet for rural Pennsylvania.

How does this impact practices? Patients in the rural areas of Pennsylvania struggle to receive telehealth or have the appropriate transportation to make an appointment. The limitations surrounding what situations practices can perform audio-only visits both from a reimbursement and policy level are increasing. The costs of maintaining a practice are becoming more burdensome and the ability to afford internet could be alleviated with this movement and action that the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority is performing to address these issues. When will a change be seen? The $1.16 billion that was approved, needs a final plan approved by the National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA), once the final plan is approved, the PBDA can start a four-year implementation process to connect communities across the state (PBDA, 2024b). 

Beyond the PBDA, the Universal Service Administrative Corporation (USAC) has an opportunity to provide a 65% discount on eligible broadband connectivity expenses for rural healthcare providers (USAC, 2021). The funding involves six steps which are: determining eligibility, developing evaluation criteria and requesting services, evaluating bids and selecting a service provider, submitting your funding request, reviewing the funding letter, and then invoicing USAC (USAC, 2021). For more information, for practices interested and who consider themselves to be a rural health practice, you can go to the following website: https://www.usac.org/rural-health-care/healthcare-connect-fund-program/. For more information surrounding the PBDA and their work, you can find them at: https://www.broadband.pa.gov/news-events/. 

References:

1. PBDA. (2024a, March 1). Shapiro administration secures $20 million in new federal funding to promote digital equity and inclusion for Pennsylvanians. Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority. https://www.broadband.pa.gov/shapiro-administration-secures-20-million-in-new-federal-funding-to-promote-digital-equity-and-inclusion-for-pennsylvanians/ 
2. PBDA. (2024b, May 15). Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority receives latest federal approval to implement $1.16 billion in Broadband, equity, access, and deployment (BEAD) funding to connect every Pennsylvanian to the internet. Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority. https://www.broadband.pa.gov/pennsylvania-broadband-development-authority-receives-latest-federal-approval-to-implement-1-16-billion-in-broadband-equity-access-and-deployment-bead-funding-to-connect-every-pennsylvanian-to-t/ 
3. PBDA. (2024c, April 18). Shapiro administration invests $204 million in federal funding to provide 40,000 homes and businesses affordable and reliable high-speed internet across. Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority. https://www.broadband.pa.gov/shapiro-administration-invests-204-million-in-federal-funding-to-provide-40000-homes-and-businesses-affordable-and-reliable-high-speed-internet-across/ 
4. Center for Rural PA. (2024, January 1). Rural Quick Facts. Rural Quick Facts - Center for Rural PA. https://www.rural.pa.gov/data/rural-quick-facts 
5. USAC. (2021, April 29). Healthcare Connect Fund Program. Universal Service Administrative Company. https://www.usac.org/rural-health-care/healthcare-connect-fund-program/