Category: Information Technology

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

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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.

High-speed internet to expand in four counties

High-speed internet to expand in four counties

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High-speed internet service is expanding in four counties because of a $2.5 million grant awarded to SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) on behalf of the counties.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) POWER grant funds internet expansion to unreached areas in Clinton, Lycoming, Northumberland, and Union counties, reaching over 1,500 households, including over 20 businesses.

The grant will supplement $4 million of SEDA-COG’s revolving loan funds. The selected internet service provider will match these funds with $1.5 million of private investment funds.

SEDA-COG will provide funding through reimbursable grants and low-interest loans to incentivize an internet service provider to expand internet service into unserved and underserved rural regions of the four counties where traditional buildout is otherwise economically infeasible.

As the main grant applicant, Union County Commissioner Preston Boop said this is great news.

“Expanding broadband in this region and extending service to help the unserved and underserved has been a priority here in Union County and we appreciate everyone coming together to make this happen,” Boop said.

SEDA-COG Board President and Columbia County Commissioner Rich Ridgway emphasized the important role internet access plays, especially during the pandemic.

“We’ve learned the importance of the internet during the pandemic. It’s important in our business and private lives not to mention our school students. Hopefully, this will make everyone’s lives less stressful moving forward,” Ridgway said.

Mike Fisher, SEDA-COG assistant executive director, thanked the legislators and four counties and said this will build on SEDA-COG’s other internet expansion project.

“We could not have done this without the support of U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, U.S. Rep. Fred Keller, state Sens. Joe Scarnati, Gene Yaw, and John Gordner, and state Reps. Garth Everett, Lynda Schlegel Culver, and Donna Oberlander. We especially thank the leadership of Clinton, Lycoming, Northumberland, and Union counties and their staff,” Fisher said. “This is a true private-public partnership effort to bridge the last-mile funding gap, one that SEDA-COG is currently proving works in Juniata County with our pilot project.”

Residents & Businesses Reached by County

Clinton: 360 homes and seven businesses in the area east of Loganton and Bucktail Medical Center in Renovo comprising 14 miles of fiber in a 7-mile area.

Lycoming: 190 homes and five businesses in Moreland Township comprising 16 miles of fiber in a 7-mile area.

Northumberland: 240 homes and seven businesses in the Rt. 147 area south of Sunbury to Fishers Ferry. This includes Upper Augusta, Lower Augusta, and Rockefeller townships, comprising 15 miles of fiber in a 6-mile area.

Union: 750 homes and five businesses in Mazeppa and Kelly Township comprising of 15 miles of fiber in an 8-mile area.

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 Juniata County

High-speed internet expands in Juniata County

Posted on by DNS Admin

High-speed internet access is expanding in Juniata County, thanks to an effort by the Juniata County Commissioners in partnership with SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) and internet service provider Centre WISP.

Residents and businesses within 8 miles of the Black Log tower near the Village of Honey Grove in Reeds Gap will receive service today, Oct. 2, potentially reaching hundreds of customers when it is at capacity at year’s end.

Almost 200 residents and businesses across the county have indicated interest in receiving the internet service, according to Centre WISP.

Brad Kerstetter, Director of the Juniata County Office of Planning and Community Development, directed the project while working with SEDA-COG to secure state and federal funds to incentivize the internet expansion project and to select Centre WISP.

Through the grant funding, Centre WISP will receive a total of $142,000 for the pilot project. As part of that funding, SEDA-COG offered Centre WISP $95,000 as a low-interest loan from a state Keystone Communities Program grant and a $47,000 grant from a U.S. Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant.

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

These grants laid the foundation and will make it possible to expand internet service since the county also received CARES Act funds that will power internet service expansion throughout the county.

“Expanding internet service through the Black Log tower is the pilot project to build on to expand service throughout the county. We are proud and excited to partner with SEDA-COG and Centre WISP to provide this necessary service to our residents and businesses,” said Juniata County Commissioners Alice Gray, Todd Graybill, and Mark Partner.

Mike Fisher, SEDA-COG Assistant Executive Director, thanked State Legislators for securing the grants as well as the County Commissioners and their staff for their leadership and technical guidance.

“We thank Sens. Jake Corman and John DiSanto and Reps. John Hershey, Kerry Benninghoff, Rich Irvin, and Mark Keller for helping to make this tremendous effort possible. High-speed internet access is crucial for homes and businesses, especially during this pandemic,” Fisher said.

He also recognized the Juniata County Commissioners and their staff, indicating this is an example of what a public-private partnership can do. “The County Commissioners and Brad Kerstetter are a phenomenal driving force behind this project, and we thank them for their leadership. Our staff are here to provide services to our member counties to make these needed projects possible,” Fisher said.

Customers can choose between four residential packages, the fastest of which offers speeds of 40 megabits download and 8 megabits upload.

Dave Gibbons, Centre WISP Owner, thanked the county and SEDA-COG for making the project possible.

“We greatly appreciate Juniata County’s partnership with us and thank you to SEDA-COG for making this project happen. We are very excited to be deploying service in Juniata County,” Gibbons said.

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.