Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority Announces Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Awards Across Pennsylvania

On April 29, 2026, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) Executive Director Brandon Carson announced that over $711 Million would be invested in improving broadband expansion across the Commonwealth. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved and executed an agreement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to deploy $711,295,843 in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grants to connect the remaining locations across the Commonwealth that currently lack high-speed internet service.

Awards include funding for a diverse range of broadband projects in rural parts of PA, including fiber, fixed wireless, and low-Earth orbit (LEO) depending upon the typography being served. Pennsylvania’s BEAD awards will be distributed among 20 organizations supporting 69 projects across the state.

Here is a breakdown of how the 129,356 awarded locations will be served:

• 74,878 will be connected by fiber technology

• 6,855 will be connected by hybrid-fiber coaxial

• 17,739 through fixed-wireless

• 29,884 via LEO.

In the Southern Alleghenies region, eCommunity Fiber, in partnership with Alleghenies Broadband, Inc., received an $83 Million award to construct a large-scale Open Access Network (OAN) connecting approximately 15,000 locations to high-speed fiber infrastructure. The new network will span Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, and Somerset counties.

Further information can be found here: https://www.pa.gov/governor/newsroom/2026-press-releases/shapiro-administration-plans--711-million-investment-on-high-spe