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Corman's Efforts to Re-shape Telecommunications
Industry Becomes Law
HARRISBURG -- Legislation
shaped by Sen. Jake Corman (R-34) that modifies Pennsylvania’s
telecommunications industry received the Governor’s signature last night and
became law.
House Bill 30, which Corman crafted, makes
significant changes to Pennsylvania’s telecommunications law and for the first
time in over 10 years addresses broadband deployment and delivers consumer
benefits such as faster and affordable broadband connections to schools and
includes over $100 million in contributions to the community with approximately
$60 million going directly to schools for accelerating broadband deployment
House Bill 30 creates an approximate $60 million
grant program, paid by telephone companies, within the Department of Education
that provides funding to schools for broadband connections, service, equipment,
distance learning programs and training. “This is a direct consumer benefit
that I negotiated that will place broadband technologies inside of schools
throughout the state and help those schools that still lack access to
technologies,” Corman said.
“This E-Fund will support deploying broadband
services to individual schools, including the technology required to allow the
school to make connections, as well as fostering interschool networks,
other technology, distance learning and content that
would enable schools to take advantage of broadband and the Internet,” said the
Governor.
Corman’s effort creates a school broadband discount
program that would allow schools to purchase broadband connections with at least
a 30% discount on current pricing. According to a recent Department of
Education study, about 12 percent of schools in Pennsylvania lack access to T-1
Internet speed, the universally accepted speed for classroom and learning
applications over the Internet. “This legislation closes this digital divide by
making broadband connections more affordable throughout the state,” Corman said.
“All told, over the next ten years, a minimum of
$350 million and perhaps as much as $550 million will be made available to
schools through House Bill 30 and related commitments,” said the Governor.
Corman said this bill targets accelerated broadband
deployment to areas within Pennsylvania for economic development and community
aggregation. The legislation allows for business and industrial parks to
receive broadband connections quickly to spur economic growth in Pennsylvania.
“Broadband deployment in all areas of the Commonwealth is essential to economic
development in our rural areas,” Corman said. “By creating this Business
Attraction and Retention Program, we ensure that any business park that needs
broadband access will have it.”
“Together these programs will help redevelop old
industrial sites and support economic development efforts to create more jobs
for Pennsylvania’s working families,” said the Governor. “We can truly say that
we will have business-ready sites for any type of business enterprise.”
The legislation also makes it possible for
individual communities in Pennsylvania to have broadband deployed in
neighborhoods well ahead of the schedules developed by Pennsylvania’s telephone
companies. “With this program, we further accelerate broadband deployment in
all areas of the Commonwealth,” Corman said. “Residents in Pennsylvania want
broadband internet services and with this legislation, we make it happen ahead
of schedule.”
“As we
seek to modernize Pennsylvania’s telecommunications laws in response to a
rapidly changing industry, we have delivered consumer benefits that otherwise
would not have been afforded,” Corman said. “My goal has always been to ensure
that Pennsylvania is on the leading edge of telecommunications technology and to
have broadband access delivered to every part of the state at affordable rates
and in a timely manner. With this legislation, we deliver on those goals.”
 
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