Venango County commissioners say they are making progress in bringing broadband access to underserved areas in Venango County.
The commissioners say the undertaking will be a multi-year project.
Commissioner Mike Dulaney said agreements have been signed that call for equipment to be put up, and they believe the equipment will be in place in the near future.
“Hopefully we will continue this project into the future,” Breene said. “We are limited by the time we have to use the CARES money. The broadband won’t be turned on overnight. This is more of a marathon than a sprint,” he added.
Several businesses have approached the county about providing broadband access when the necessary equipment has been put in place, Dulaney said.
Breene said some areas of the county will have broadband coverage “very soon.” He added they have been able to keep costs down, making a multiyear project more feasible.
“Anything with this much bureaucracy and red tape is never an easy process. We have been working on this every day since before we got the money,” Breene said.
“COVID showed how lacking internet is around here. Elected officials are now making infrastructure a priority,” Dulaney said.
Breene added that the coronavirus pandemic showed that internet is not only an economic issue but also an issue of equal access to education when students were forced to learn from home following school closures in March.
