Washington Township: High-speed internet may be expanded

By JEFF STITT

jstitt@yourmvi.com

Supervisor Jan Amoroso recently provided an update on where things stand with getting several families who live within Atlantic Broadband’s territory in Washington Township connected to high-speed internet.

At last week’s supervisor’s meeting, Amoroso reminded residents and the board that there are around 32 customers in the area of Redstone Church and Perryopolis roads — Atlantic Broadband territory — that do not have the ability to connect to high-speed broadband. 

“We got this letter and (Atlantic Broadband) said that there was funding available, and also the American Rescue funding, one of the allowable expenses is the expansion of broadband,” Amoroso said.

In the communications portion of the meeting Wednesday, Supervisor Chuck Yusko said the township received “notice of payment from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Community and Economic Development in the amount of $188,666.25 resulting from the American Rescue Plan funding.”

Amoroso said she spoke with a representative from Atlantic Broadband and that “they told me that it would cost $140,000 to extend the service to them.”

“I asked them if they would contribute any money to the expansion and they said they would cover approximately $35,000 if all the customers subscribe to the service,” she told the board.

Residents in some parts of the township have long had to deal with not being able to connect to an internet provider that uses utility poles or underground cables to give a wired connection to a home. 

But the issue was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as children who attend Belle Vernon Area School District, and at least one California University of Pennsylvania student, tried to learn virtually and adults attempted to work from home or use video telehealth technology.

Amoroso told the Mon Valley Independent last year that an internet connection was once seen as a luxury, but the pandemic made it clear it’s becoming a necessity for new forms of learning, working, shopping and even seeing a doctor.

In many cases across the country and in Pennsylvania, families experiencing economic hardships cannot afford to pay a monthly internet bill. 

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