Category: Information Technology

Highspeed internet now available in Perry County

Highspeed internet now available in Perry County

Posted on by DNS Admin

Highspeed internet is up and running in and beyond Horse Valley, and the Perry County Commissioners are urging area residents and businesses to sign up.

As of Jan. 27, the coverage area includes Horse Valley, as well as south and southeast of the tower of the Blain area, and along 274 from the outskirts of New Germantown toward Cisna Run. Customers who are in a clear line of sight of Big Knob tower can sign up to receive service of up to 100 megabits.

Commissioner Brenda Watson said they want to alert residents that the project is completed and that they can sign up for fast internet service.

“This is such a crucial service for people during this time when many are working and learning from home,” Watson said.

Customers can choose from four packages providing speeds up to 40 megabits per second, all with no data caps. Interested customers may visit internet provider Centre WISP’s website at www.centrewisp.com and pick their county to see pricing and speeds, and to sign up. Centre WISP will not raise their prices for at least two years.

Perry County, along with Juniata and Mifflin counties, worked with SEDA-COG to secure state and federal funds to incentivize the internet expansion project and to select Centre WISP. Sens. Jake Corman and John DiSanto and Reps. John Hershey, Kerry Benninghoff, Rich Irvin, and Mark Keller helped secure the grants.

The funds incentivized Centre WISP to provide internet service where it wasn’t financially feasible to reach on their own, helping to bridge the last-mile funding gap. SEDA-COG is administering this Tri-County Broadband Project in collaboration with Mifflin, Juniata, and Perry counties.

SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives. SEDA-COG also is an advocate for the interests of its communities at the state and federal levels. For more information, visit www.seda-cog.org.

Statewide broadband expansion effort awarded $600K grant

Statewide broadband expansion effort awarded $600K grant

Posted on by DNS Admin

Pennsylvania will see a coordinated statewide effort to expand highspeed internet access thanks to a $600,000 grant made possible by strong legislative support in the Pennsylvania state House and Senate. The grant bolsters SEDA-Council of Governments’ (SEDA-COG) broadband expansion project in the Snow Shoe Township area of Centre County.

Mike Fisher, SEDA-COG assistant executive director, thanked state Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R-34), state House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin), state Sen. Cris Dush (R-25), and state Rep. Stephanie Borowicz (R-Centre/Clinton) for their support in securing the grant.

“We are grateful to our legislators who recognize the crucial importance of expanding highspeed internet service to our communities and businesses, especially in these difficult times,” Fisher said. “Their efforts to secure this grant underscore a steadfast commitment to ensure that our region has access to essential broadband and technology resources now, not years from now ­­– we couldn’t do our work without their support.”

The Keystone Communities grant was awarded to the seven Local Development Districts (LDDs) that serve 52 Pennsylvania counties. The grant complements a previous $600,000 Appalachian Regional Commission POWER broadband grant supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) awarded to the LDDs to undertake broadband expansion throughout the state.

“We truly appreciate the partnership we have with our legislative champions and the team at DCED,” Fisher said.

The LDDs are multi-county organizations providing services such as community and economic development, transportation, international trade, strategic planning, and much more. Counties share information through their LDD, respond to common concerns, and develop solutions to today’s critical issues. For over 40 years, Pennsylvania’s LDDs have taken the lead in community and business initiatives, coordinating and delivering services on behalf of their member counties as well as the Commonwealth.

SEDA-COG is one of the seven LDDs and serves 11 central Pennsylvania counties.

The LDDs will coordinate to identify areas of Pennsylvania that need broadband and then expand coverage by either providing it or incentivizing internet service providers to expand service.

As a result, broadband will be expanded to a total of 410 businesses, 860 homes, and 13 communities throughout the LDDs’ statewide regions.

The LDDs that will identify areas that need broadband are Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance, Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission, and Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.

The following LDDs have identified underserved areas and will expand broadband service: North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG), and Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission.­

All projects are anticipated to be completed over the next 12 to 18 months.

Using $105,000 from the Keystone Communities grant and $105,000 from ARC POWER funds, SEDA-COG will establish a $210,000 grant program to incentivize internet service providers to provide broadband in the Snow Shoe area.

The project will provide 100/100 symmetrical internet speeds for at least five to 10 businesses and 50/10 for 50 to 100 households.

The infrastructure will be owned and operated by the internet service provider who is awarded the project through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process. SEDA-COG will release the RFP over the next several weeks.

As a community and economic development agency, SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives. SEDA-COG also is an advocate for the interests of its communities at the state and federal levels. For more information, visit www.seda-cog.org.

High-speed internet coming to Snow Shoe Township

High-speed internet coming to Snow Shoe Township

Posted on by DNS Admin

High-speed internet is coming to the Snow Shoe Township area in Centre County, thanks to a $108,125 grant awarded to SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) and its partnership with Centre County Government.

SEDA-COG will match the U.S. Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) POWER grant with the same amount, offering a $210,000 grant to incentivize internet service providers to provide high-speed internet in the area.

The project will provide 100/100 symmetrical internet speeds for area businesses and 50/10 for homes.

The Centre County Commissioners previously adopted a countywide comprehensive plan which included background studies, inventories of existing conditions, goals, and recommendations for high-speed internet needs. This laid the foundation for SEDA-COG to partner with the Commissioners to further identify the area in and around Snow Shoe Township as underserved with high-speed internet.

Centre County Commissioner Mark Higgins said, “The Centre County Commissioners are pleased with the SEDA-COG partnership which expands rural broadband services in Centre County. Our rural broadband public private partnership in Penns Valley now serves hundreds of families and businesses. We hope this new rural broadband project in the Snow Shoe and the Mountain Top area builds on prior successes.”

The infrastructure will be owned and operated by the internet service provider who is awarded the project through a competitive Request for Proposals process. Internet service providers will be identified around early 2021.

The project builds on other high-speed internet expansion efforts by SEDA-COG and its member counties including Clinton, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Northumberland, Perry, and Union.

Mike Fisher, SEDA-COG assistant executive director, said the method of incentivizing internet service providers works.

“This public-private partnership model that we’re using in more and more of our member counties is a tremendous breakthrough to reach those who need high-speed internet service the most,” Fisher said. “It incentivizes internet service providers to reach where they previously couldn’t afford to.”

Fisher thanked the region’s legislators who helped secure the grant funds and Centre County Government for their leadership on the project.

“We thank our state and federal legislative delegation, including U.S. Reps. Dan Meuser and Fred Keller, and Glenn Thompson for their support of these investments in our community, and we are appreciative to Centre County Government for their dedication to this project,” Fisher said. “This is an effort that is a total partnership and it’s a true testament to how our agency works because of our partners.”

The grant is part of a statewide $1.2 million ARC broadband grant award to the seven Local Development Districts (LDDs) that serve 52 of Pennsylvania’s counties. The LDDs are organizations through which member counties share information, address common concerns, and develop regional responses to critical issues. SEDA-COG is one of the seven LDDs and serves 11 central Pennsylvania counties.

As a community and economic development agency, SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives. SEDA-COG also is an advocate for the interests of its communities at the state and federal levels. For more information, visit www.seda-cog.org.

High-speed internet expands in Mifflin, Perry counties

High-speed internet expands in Mifflin, Perry counties

Posted on by DNS Admin

Mifflin and Perry counties are expanding high-speed internet access to hundreds of customers, expanding on SEDA-Council of Governments’ (SEDA-COG) broadband project with Juniata County.

Centre WISP will provide high-speed internet to 210 residents and five businesses in the River Road region south of McVeytown in Mifflin County and to 100 residents and three businesses in the Horse Valley Road area in west Perry County. Centre WISP has begun providing service to Juniata County residents and businesses within 8 miles of the Black Log tower near the Village of Honey Grove in Reeds Gap and plans to expand to more of the county by year’s end.

Service will be available to portions of the Mifflin County pilot area by November. Centre WISP expects the remainder of the Mifflin County pilot area, and the Perry county pilot area, to begin receiving service in the next few months.

The counties worked with SEDA-COG to secure state and federal funds to incentivize the internet expansion project and to select Centre WISP.

Mifflin County Commissioner Robert P. Postal gave the background of the county’s involvement.

“Mifflin County has been working on improved internet connectivity since the formation of the Mifflin County Internet Advisory Committee in 2016. Last year, the Committee sponsored, with funds from the Commissioners, a broadband study that identified the River Road neighborhood as a priority for attention,” Postal said. “By partnering with SEDA-COG and the Appalachian Regional Commission, funds to finance broadband development in this area is a great win for the businesses and households.”

Perry County Commissioner Brenda Watson said this is a tremendous boon for the county.

“We understand how vital high-speed internet is, especially with more people than ever working remotely because of the pandemic. We are committed to narrowing the digital divide and enhancing our county’s residents’ and businesses’ competitive edge,” Watson said.

SEDA-COG will provide Centre WISP low-interest revolving loans from a state Keystone Communities Program grant, totaling $95,000 per county served. A U.S. Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant gives $47,000 per county served. Centre WISP will receive a total of $426,000 from the loan and grant funds for servicing the three counties.

The funds incentivized Centre WISP to provide internet service where it wasn’t financially feasible to reach on their own, helping to bridge the last-mile funding gap.

SEDA-COG Assistant Executive Director Mike Fisher thanked Sens. Jake Corman and John DiSanto and Reps. John Hershey, Kerry Benninghoff, Rich Irvin, and Mark Keller for helping to secure the grants. He also recognized the counties and their staff for driving the project.

“We could not have done this three-county broadband project without our legislators and the leadership of our counties,” Fisher said. “We are thrilled that this project is meeting such a crucial need across several counties. We are here to fill the gaps and create public-private partnerships to meet needs that otherwise would not exist.”

Customers can choose from four packages providing speeds up to 40 megabits per second, all with no data caps. Interested customers should visit the website at www.centrewisp.com and pick their county to see pricing and speeds, and to sign up. Centre WISP will not raise their prices for at least two years.

Dave Gibbons, Centre WISP owner, thanked the project partners and explained the impacts of the expansion.

“We are excited to be working alongside SEDA-COG and Mifflin and Perry counties. These public-private partnerships provide much-needed broadband internet access in locations that presently lack the kind of connectivity modern life demands. This funding phase will allow Centre WISP to expand our coverage all the way from Centre County to Perry County, servicing each valley in between. The expansion puts thousands of customers into our service footprint, and we’re looking forward to providing fast and reliable internet access from these new towers.”

SEDA-COG enhances the quality of life and economic advantage for residents and businesses in 11 central Pennsylvania counties through its vital partnerships and initiatives. SEDA-COG also is an advocate for the interests of its communities at the state and federal levels. For more information, visit www.seda-cog.org.