The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) has provisionally approved nearly $800 million Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding that it says will provide broadband coverage to all unserved and underserved areas across the Commonwealth within four years of final federal approval. The list of companies that will be provisionally awarded funding after approval by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), has been released and is available here.  

A new broadband map has been released that shows which providers will serve which remaining unserved and underserved locations. The companies will use a mix of technologies to deliver service, including fiber, hybrid-fiber coaxial, fixed wireless, and low-Earth orbit satellite. To find out which provider has been selected to provide service to areas within your township, click here for the new map.  

PSATS reviewed PBDA’s final BEAD plan, which is available here, and submitted comments on the plan to provide broadband coverage to all unserved and underserved areas of Pennsylvania within four years. PSATS expressed its support for the plans focus on ensuring broadband service to all unserved and underserved areas in the most cost-effective area, its strategies to ensure compliance by the provisional awardees, and PBDA’s success in identifying awardees to serve all identified unserved and underserved areas. PSATS encouraged PBDA to coordinate with affected municipalities by providing notice of awards, including timeframes, names of awardees, and PBDA contacts. Click here for the PSATS comments.  

The final BEAD plan will be presented to NTIA for final approval by September 4. This is the final step for Pennsylvania to unlock its share of the BEAD funding and give final grant awards to the provisional providers.