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Committee Endorses Corman’s Efforts to
Re-Shape Telecommunications Industry in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG -- An
amendment offered by Sen. Jake Corman (R-34) that will modernize Pennsylvania’s
telecommunications industry and bring new technology to schools and communities
cleared the Senate Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure Committee today.
Corman’s amendment to House Bill 30 makes
significant changes to Pennsylvania’s telecommunications law. For the first
time in over 10 years, the measure addresses broadband deployment and delivers
consumer benefits -- including faster and affordable broadband connections to
schools. The measure includes over $90 million in contributions to the
community, with over $40 million going directly to schools for accelerating
broadband deployment.
Corman’s legislation creates a $42 million grant
program, paid for by telephone companies, within the Department of Education to
provide 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 classrooms throughout the state
and help those schools that still lack access to technologies,” Corman said.
Corman’s legislation also 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.
“My amendment closes this digital divide by making
broadband connections more affordable throughout the state,” Corman said.
Corman’s amendment targets accelerated broadband
deployment to areas within Pennsylvania for economic development and community
aggregation. It allows for business and industrial parks to receive broadband
connections quickly to spur economic growth in Pennsylvania.
“Broadband deployment 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.”
The Senator’s amendment 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. Today, we
took the first step on delivering on those goals.”
House Bill 30 now goes to the full Senate where
Corman expects more changes to be made before the bill goes back to the House
for a concurrence vote.
Amendment summary
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