What was driven home the past two years to many Pennsylvania students, those who worked from home and businesses was how spotty or non-existent high speed internet service was. Expanding broadband internet became a priority.

The $1 billion dollars in infrastructure money coming to Pennsylvania from the federal government for broadband expansion was thought to be an answer. But local communities that wanted to build their own broadband networks are facing another challenge – an obscure 2004 state law intended to keep publicly-owned telephone companies from competing with utilities.

Spotlight PA reporter Charlotte Keith broke this story last week and is on Monday's Smart Talk to tell us why this has become an issue.

What was driven home the past two years to many Pennsylvania students, those who worked from home and businesses was how spotty or non-existent high speed internet service was. Expanding broadband internet became a priority.
The $1 billion dollars in infrastructure money coming to Pennsylvania from the federal government for broadband expansion was thought to be an answer. But local communities that wanted to build their own broadband networks are facing another challenge &ndash; an obscure 2004 state law intended to keep publicly-owned telephone companies from competing with utilities.
<a href="https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2022/06/pennsylvania-broadband-internet-rural-expansion/">Spotlight PA reporter Charlotte Keith broke this story</a> last week and is on Monday's Smart Talk to tell us why this has become an issue.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from <a href="https://www.witf.org">WITF</a>, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

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