LEMOYNE, Pa. — The Pennsylvania State Grange issued the following statement from Legislative Director Vince Phillips regarding Governor Tom Wolf’s signing of House Bill 2438 as Act 98 of 2020. Sponsored by Rep. Clint Owlett (R-Potter/Tioga/Bradford), the legislation facilitates electric utilities’ and especially rural electric cooperatives’ ability to upgrade existing lines to provide access to high-speed Internet.
“Pennsylvania’s quest for universal access to high-speed Broadband received a major boost with the passage of this legislation and the Governor’s signing it into law. By itself, it will not bridge the Digital Divide, but it is a major step forward.”
The Pennsylvania State Grange has high-speed Broadband access as its top legislative priority. “Broadband is to this time what rural electrification was to the 20th Century” said Phillips. “Rural Pennsylvania can no longer be at an economic, educational, and community disadvantage in today’s competitive world.”
–Pennsylvania State Grange