Fighting for better internet
A proposal from Gov. Tom Wolf on March 19 will make $35 million available in the hopes that telecommunications companies will extend high-speed internet service through the rural areas of the state that lack it.
In a county like Greene, where adequate service is lacking, it could level the playing field — not just making access easier and more consistent for streaming-based services, but it could also bolster educational opportunities for the children in those underserved areas by offering them sustained access.
The hope is that broadband service will be in all areas of the state in the next four years. As part of the plan, Wolf also created a state Office of Broadband Initiatives, an agency that will be tasked with developing and executing a statewide strategy to expand access by 2022.
State Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, has been fighting for better service for years, most recently as one in a group of bipartisan legislators.
Earlier this month, Snyder was among legislators who sent a letter to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission asking for reliable service across the state for the estimated 800,000 people who lack it.
At the time, she said improving that technology would allow people to be better equipped with more educational and economic opportunities.
In 2017, Snyder made an appeal to Microsoft to include the state in its broadband expansion effort and was part of a four-bill legislative package to expand high-speed service across the state.
Windstream Communications is the primary, and in some parts of the county the only, provider of internet, broadband and telephone service in Greene County. For years, residents have voiced frustrations about slow service that has made going online difficult.
Spraggs resident Martha Hoy told the Greene County Messenger last year that the slow service wasn’t just an annoyance — it was potentially a matter of life and death. In August 2017, Hoy said her husband has health issues and requires a defibrillator. For the defibrillator to work properly, Hoy said she needed to be connected, via internet, to an area hospital.
Snyder was with Wolf when he made the announcement on March 19, and said she was pleased to see the state’s leader recognize how important that access is in communities like hers.
“Moves like this mean that students, employees and businesses in rural districts — in fact, all of our citizens — can be competitive in the ever-evolving information age,” Snyder said. “Any effort that moves this needle in the right direction is a victory for those of us who’ve tackled this issue with passion.”
She was clear that her hopes for improved educational opportunities for students in Greene did not lie with perceived deficiencies in the county’s schools; rather with missing out on opportunities because they don’t have reliable internet access.
In an age where online communication is integral to most things, she’s right.
Snyder’s recognition of the problem and continued push to find a solution are a testament to her dedication to her constituents. Those she represents should appreciate her tenacity in tackling this issue.