The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority recently announced the award of $204 million for 52 broadband development projects throughout Pennsylvania. The grants are funded through the U.S. Treasury under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), which authorized the use of funds for broadband infrastructure projects targeted at unserved or underserved households and businesses. Combined with private matching funds, the awards will result in over $400 million of broadband projects throughout Pennsylvania.

The authority awarded these grants pursuant to its broadband infrastructure program (BIP), which is funded under the capital projects fund (CPF), a $279 million program funded by Treasury under ARPA. The authority awarded BIP grants throughout Pennsylvania—in sum, 42 of the commonwealth’s 67 counties received at least one grant. Each county receiving the funds has partnered with an internet service provider (ISP) for the completion of the project (with the ISP putting up the matching funds). Not surprisingly, the bulk of the grants went to two of the largest broadband providers in Pennsylvania—Comcast and Verizon.