Surrounded by local government officials, educators and business owners, Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday called on legislators to rally behind funding to expand broadband access in rural areas as part of his Restore Pennsylvania initiative.
The plan — which proposes funding $4.5 billion worth of capital projects through a severance tax on natural gas — would create the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Program, which would provide financial assistance to businesses, nonprofits, local governments and rural electric cooperatives to develop the infrastructure necessary to provide high-speed internet in low-access areas.