Rural digital initiative begins Pennsylvania phase locally

Around 100 homeowners and businesses in rural Atlantic, Pennsylvania will be the first to benefit from phase 1 of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund project. Over $500 million were awarded to Windstream from the Federal Communications Commission to increase digital broadband in several states, including Pennsylvania.

​Along a tiny dirt road between freshly cut ditches Thursday, folks from Kinetic by Windstream welcomed area political leaders or their aids, the grange and other civic leaders to kick off the effort to connect new lines to a previously underserved area. 

Editor's note: I was hired by Kinetic by Windstream to photograph this event Thursday morning for their news releases and other purposes. 

“This is such a good day for our neighbors in Crawford County,” said Susan Schraibman, president of state operations for Kinetic. “We know that robust broadband is an essential service. When we say in our ads that we deliver 'internet for here,' we mean wherever you are, places like this. Places that are often described in terms of an intersection on the highway. These are the places many of our customers call home.”
 
There are more Crawford County projects planned, eventually delivering fiber to more than 2,900 homes and businesses. Over the next six years, under the federal RDOF program, Kinetic will deliver fiber to 53,800 locations across the commonwealth, according to a press release sent out after the kickoff event.
 
“All levels of government have worked together to prioritize broadband service to underserved and unserved areas of our communities,” said PA Sen. Michele Brooks who attended the event. “With broadband connectivity and reliability a necessity for families, schools, farms, hospitals and businesses, I appreciate Kinetic by Windstream’s commitment to ensuring communities have this service and to strengthening its capabilities. I look forward to continuing to partner with Kinetic to enhance the availability of these services.”

“Broadband has been the major legislative issue for many years for the grange. This is one of many projects that has enabled us to start to see a light at the end of the tunnel. We are not there yet, but we can truthfully say, we are making progress,” said Richard Mangel, vice president of Pennsylvania Grange, also in attendance Thursday. 

After the short event, Kinetic by Windstream crews got to work stringing cable, trimming trees and planting poles to connect more homes and businesses.

Christa Lundy, executive director of the Meadville-Western Crawford County Chamber of Commerce welcomed everyone to the event. State Rep. Parke Wentling spoke. Crawford County Commissioners Eric Henry and Christopher Soff showed support by attending as did Greenwood Township supervisor Richard Muir, Steve Samara, president of the Pennsylvania Telephone Association, and Jill Burke of U.S. Sen. Mike Kelly's office.

​Kinetic by Windstream's president of state operations Susan Schraibman and director of engineering and construction Dan Fishback also spoke.