deployment of broadband service in high-cost areas, including
many rural communities; and
WHEREAS, Most incumbent local telephone companies serving
Pennsylvania's high-cost areas accepted the CAF II funding,
along with the commitment to meet Federal benchmarks for
broadband speed (10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload), but
Verizon companies did not; and
WHEREAS, The FCC plans to conduct an auction to allocate the
broadband funding that was not accepted by Verizon and hopefully
the FCC will consider the joint petition by the PUC and DCED to
approve a Pennsylvania-specific weighting factor to the upcoming
CAF II auction; and
WHEREAS, A total of 31 counties face the loss of at least $1
million in funding for broadband deployment, including
Allegheny, Beaver, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Chester, Clarion,
Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Erie, Fayette, Forest,
Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Lebanon, Lycoming, Mercer,
Mifflin, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Tioga, Venango, Warren,
Wayne, Washington, Westmoreland and York; and
WHEREAS, Eight counties could lose $5 million or more in
funding for high-speed Internet enhancements, including Centre,
Clearfield, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lycoming, Somerset, Warren,
Washington; and
WHEREAS, There appears to be a growing gap between
Pennsylvania communities and businesses that have access to
higher broadband speeds and those that do not; and
WHEREAS, Without the modifications requested by Pennsylvania
under CAF II, rural consumers are at risk of losing the full and
current Federal public support to receive modern broadband
services because of a private business decision; and
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