Samara cautions against network overbuilding

Before a Senate/House joint committee hearing, PTA President Steve Samara cautioned against repeating mistakes of earlier federally funded broadband programs, including overbuilding of broadband networks.

With no negative votes, House approves rural broadband legislation

The state House sent the Senate HB 1658, which broadens the current ability of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to move public utility infrastructure, and enter into cost sharing agreements with rural landline telcos during road and bridge projects.

Legislation freeing up investment money for rural broadband clears House committee

With no negative votes, the House Transportation Committee on June 22 approved legislation, HB 1658, that broadens the current ability of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PaDOT) to move certain public utility infrastructure, and enter into cost sharing agreements with rural landlines telcos during road and bridge projects. The legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Doyle […]

In a boost for rural broadband, Senate approves legislation eliminating costly, outdated regulations

With a strong majority vote, the Senate approved legislation that would help bridge the gap in broadband deployment and internet speeds between urban and rural areas. The bill, SB 341, introduced by one of the state’s leading rural broadband advocates, Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York), would modernize regulations adopted decades ago for rural phone carriers (the […]

Legislation that supports rural broadband by modernizing the telco regulatory structure moves out of the committee

With a bipartisan 7-3 vote, the Senate Communications & Technology Committee on April 20 moved legislation that would help bridge the gap in broadband deployment and speeds between urban and rural areas. The bill, SB 341, introduced by one of the state’s leading rural broadband advocates, Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York), would modernize regulations adopted decades […]

Revenue available for investment in rural broadband would increase under legislation recently introduced in the state Senate

Legislation that will help bridge the digital divide, which last session gained strong bipartisan support in Harrisburg, has been reintroduced this session by one of the state’s leading rural broadband advocates, Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York). The bill, SB 341, would modernize regulations adopted decades ago for rural phone carriers, the RLECs, in an age when […]