Dollars Go Digital!

Pennsylvania Expands High-Speed Internet to Schools Across State

Dec 15, 2006 News Release

Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell today said students in 25 counties will have better opportunities for learning as the state invests $10 million to help connect intermediate units and school districts to the Internet with high-speed technology.

The Educational Technology Fund (E-Fund) grants strengthen the governor's commitment to improving educational opportunities in schools by expanding schools' access to technology.

"In Pennsylvania, we are striving to deliver a high-quality education to every student, regardless of if they live in rural, urban or suburban Pennsylvania," Rendell said. "A quality telecommunications infrastructure is vital for schools in today's globally-competitive economy. But too many of our rural and disadvantaged schools lack access to the high-speed technology that's necessary for students to succeed. These E-Fund grants change that."

Over $5 million in 2006-07 Broadband Connectivity Grants, which are used to boost broadband Internet capacity and develop technological infrastructure to provide opportunities for economic growth, are being awarded to nine consortiums comprised of 134 school districts, 20 Career and Technical Centers and Area Vocational Technical Schools, one charter school, and one non-public school.

Rendell signed Act 183 in 2004, establishing the E-Fund to help school districts without access to high-speed Internet purchase quality broadband access and service. E-Fund grants, funded by Pennsylvania's telecommunications industry, will be available until 2011 to help schools acquire telecommunications services, hardware and technical assistance and provide distance education.

Grant recipients are encouraged to provide connectivity to large geographic areas that have low speed or no connectivity by forming consortiums to leverage costs and services or to provide distance-learning resources and quality professional development.