Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority Connects Rural Blair County to High-Speed, Affordable Internet with $1.8 Million Investment in Fiber Optic Network Expansion in Central PA

Alleghenies Broadband is working with Crowsnest Broadband to provide fiber optic internet service to more than 530 locations in Blair County.

Since day one, Governor Josh Shapiro and his Administration have been moving quickly to help connect all Pennsylvanians to affordable, high-speed internet in the Commonwealth.

Duncansville, PA – Today, Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) Executive Director Brandon Carson joined Alleghenies Broadband and Crowsnest Broadband to announce the completion of the first portion of the company’s more than $2.4 million network expansion in Blair County. When fully completed the network expansion will provide 70 new miles of vital, 100 percent wireline fiber optic broadband access to more than 530 rural locations that currently lack access to high-speed internet.

The PBDA invested more than $1.8 million in federal funding through the Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP) to support this project. Crowsnest Broadband’s expansion in Blair County will provide connectivity to residents in Houston, Juniata, and North Woodbury townships that are currently unable to access high-speed internet. Alleghenies and Crowsnest will match the remaining funding for the project.

“We are thrilled to see another crucial broadband project completed in our Commonwealth, giving more Pennsylvanians long-awaited access to internet they can afford,” said PBDA Executive Director Carson. “Making high-speed internet available to all our residents will strengthen our communities, help local businesses thrive, and drive a more dynamic and competitive economy across the state. PBDA will continue to work with our partners to move rapidly, implementing programs and delivering real results for Pennsylvanians.”

Funded through the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund, the BIP provides grants for line extension and development projects, as well as large-scale regional infrastructure projects. Upon completion, projects must deliver service that meets or exceeds speeds of 100 Megabits per second download and 20 Megabits per second upload.

In April 2024, the PBDA approved a total of $204 million in BIP funds to 53 projects in 42 counties that will connect over 40,000 homes and businesses, bringing high-speed internet access to over 100,000 Pennsylvanians. The grants, awarded to businesses and non-profits, are matched by more than $200 million in private investment. The combined investment of more than $400 million will expand broadband in unserved and underserved areas of the Commonwealth.

Alleghenies Broadband and Crowsnest Broadband are working together to expand high-speed internet access in underserved and unserved areas of the Southern Alleghenies region of Pennsylvania. Alleghenies Broadband is a nonprofit, regional broadband initiative. Its role is to plan, coordinate, and secure funding for broadband expansion — partnering with private internet service providers (ISPs) like Crowsnest Broadband to carry out these expansions. Crowsnest Broadband is a locally-owned and operated ISP based in Altoona, Blair County. The company has grown in recent years as a key player in bringing high-speed internet to rural and underserved communities in the Southern Alleghenies region.

“Alleghenies Broadband is excited to celebrate the completion of a portion of our CPF Project with Crowsnest Broadband. Communities like Juniata Township in Blair County have been unserved for too long and we’re happy to see residents now have access to reliable, high-speed fiber technology that is also affordable for them,” said Dustin Bishop, Project Manager for Alleghenies Broadband, Inc. “This is a big win for our community and Pennsylvania as a whole.”

“Over the past six years, we’ve connected countless communities to modern, high-speed internet for the first time, and the excitement never fades. This project, however, is truly special. Juniata Township has been almost entirely unserved, with little to no broadband access and no cell coverage,” said Dwayne Zimmerman, Founder of Crowsnest Broadband. “Overcoming the challenges of building fiber in such a remote and rugged area was no small task, but today, Juniata Township joins the modern age of connectivity. We are deeply grateful to the many partners who helped make this possible, including Valley Rural Electric, Juniata Township, Ayer’s Line Communications, Blair County, ABI, and PBDA.”

Under the Shapiro Administration, the PBDA has also:

• Awarded $45 million through the Multi-Purpose Community Facilities Program for community projects to construct, acquire, or improve facilities that are open to the public and will directly enable work, education, and health monitoring.
• Announced that in March 2024 Pennsylvania developed a $20 million program to provide laptops for distribution to schools, libraries, municipalities, workforce training organizations, and other non-profits who can make them available to individuals that lack the technology needed to access the internet.
• Governor Shapiro and Executive Director Carson announced in June 2023 the Commonwealth will receive more than $1.16 billion in federal funding to expand broadband in unserved and underserved areas to make sure every Pennsylvanian has access to affordable, high-speed internet.
• Approved a comprehensive five-year action plan to expand access across the Commonwealth in August 2023.

Visit the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority’s website to learn more about its work to close the digital divide in the Commonwealth.

For more information about the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit the DCED website, and be sure to stay up-to-date with all of our agency news on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

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