Zoom call Source: Chris Montgomery, Unsplash
CORE OBJECTIVE 6: PLUG INTO THE NEW ECONOMY PRIORITIZING BROADBAND CAPACITY FOR A BETTER CONNECTED COUNTY AND REGION With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, our lives were significantly altered in a number of ways. As in-person appointments, instruction, and business quickly began to threaten public health and safety, entire institutions and industries had to scramble to respond. Many of us were faced with having to adapt and overcome the challenges related to working, learning, teaching, and even socializing from home with the shelter-inplace order. The reality of having to shift our lives into our homes and online shed a harsh light on the digital divide that exists not only in Westmoreland County, but in communities across the U.S., and emphasized the critical importance of broadband infrastructure and access. Across the U.S., it is estimated that roughly 44 million households do not have a standard broadband connection due to a lack of access or affordability. In response to this, closing the digital divide through expanded and enhanced technology infrastructure was identified as one of the top objectives outlined in the county’s comprehensive plan, Reimagining Our Westmoreland. As a first step to understanding and addressing these needs, Westmoreland County joined forces with seven other counties to participate in a regional broadband feasibility study, led by Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission, to assess current broadband needs and assets. The study, which was completed in 2020, indicated that Westmoreland County has large areas designated as “unserved” in the northern and southeastern parts of the county, with smaller areas throughout. Based on survey data collected, it’s clear that Westmoreland County residents and businesses are anxious for better internet service. The study found that 83% of county respondents are interested in faster and more reliable internet service and that 91% believe local government should help facilitate better internet access. In response to the study’s findings and to growing concerns over the health crisis, Westmoreland County provided a $145,000 grant, funded by the federal CARES Act, to the Westmoreland County Federated Library System to install internet hotspots at 22 of the county’s 25 public libraries. The project expanded the range of Wi-Fi service with signals reaching up to 328 feet, about the length of a football field, which more than tripled the existing library Wi-Fi networks.
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“Expanding Wi-Fi service at our county’s public libraries was one way to provide some immediate relief to those in need,” said County Commissioner, Vice-Chairman, Doug Chew. “This is a first-step towards bringing broadband to more locations in Westmoreland County.” With the upgrades, the libraries now offer users increased flexibility for social distancing while connected. The Wi-Fi service enables the public to connect to the network from library parking lots via smartphones, tablets, or laptops by entering their library card number or ZIP code. According to Cesare Muccari, Executive Director of the Westmoreland County Federated Library System, “This project was the second phase of a larger initiative to update technology infrastructure and install fiber-optic internet at our libraries. Despite the disruptions caused by COVID-19, Westmoreland County’s public libraries remain committed to providing stellar library services to residents.” The Library Network’s expanded Wi-Fi hotspot project is just one way the digital divide is being tackled in Westmoreland County. Meta Mesh Wireless Communities, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit, piloted free, wireless, high-speed internet service to 150 households in New Kensington and Arnold. The effort called “Every1online” is thanks to a partnership between Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State New Kensington, and the Keystone Initiative for Network-based Research. Additionally, more than $1.3 million funds will be used to expand broadband to homes and businesses at nearly 1,400 locations in the county over the next 10 years. The broadband expansion effort is possible through the first phase of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. The fund is a Federal Communications Commission program aimed at closing the digital divide in the U.S. by committing billions of dollars to construct broadband networks in rural areas. As the county continues to make informed decisions about increasing broadband capacity, leaders hope it might also help to boost Westmoreland County’s population. “If we continue to make progress and move forward with broadband infrastructure in the county, I think we have a real chance at attracting people who may be moving away from more densely populated places,” Chew said. “With more people working from home, there’s an opportunity to market the county to those leaving larger cities to go to more rural or suburban places such as those we offer here in Westmoreland County.”
