Michael Reigh
Technology Development Planner
Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission

The Allegheny mountain range of south-central Pennsylvania is famous for a rugged beauty that has drawn visitors throughout our nation’s history. Now, with the help of broadband technology, the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission is working to draw new jobs to this rural region to bring new types of permanent economic stimulus to the area.

Since our founding in 1967, the SAP&DC has established scores of infrastructure projects, from industrial parks to water and sewer systems and access roads. Thousands of workers have been trained and otherwise assisted through federal and state programs managed by the Southern Alleghenies.

In 2006, the agency initiated a targeted outreach program – known as the Rural Education Aggregation of Community Telecommunications Project – to address the benefits, use and procurement of broadband services within our multi-county region. This project identifies the aggregate customer demand among communities with little or no service, so providers may respond more promptly to the demand. The ultimate goal of the outreach and aggregation project is to increase the availability of broadband services in local communities that do not currently have access.

Recent surveys show that two out of three residents of our region access the Internet primarily using dial-up over a regular telephone line. Some 40 percent of businesses still use dial-up over a regular telephone line. So it’s clear that we’re doing this work in an area where broadband technology is much needed.

As part of our broadband outreach project, the Southern Alleghenies will:

• Recruit community leaders interested in serving as “sparkplugs” within their communities.
• Coordinate with broadband service providers to ensure awareness of the assistance available to a community.
• Educate the community on the value of broadband.
• Aggregate the demand for broadband at a grassroots level, with organized community outreach meetings, community marketing and face-to-face contact.
• Present the aggregated customers to the appropriate broadband providers.
• Educate community leaders on the benefits, uses and procurement of broadband services.

Our goal is to “future proof” the Alleghenies region by using broadband to attract and retain new businesses, increase the level of commerce and economic development and improve the overall quality of life in the region while respecting traditional rural values.

The Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission is working to ensure that all residents of the region have access to broadband – and to a more promising future.