PA Broadband Mapping Program

The State Broadband Data and Development (SBDD) Program allocated funding for state-level projects that would collect comprehensive and accurate broadband mapping data, develop state-level broadband maps, aid in the development and maintenance of a national broadband map, and fund statewide planning initiatives directed at broadband planning. On January 12, 2010, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, specifically the Department of Community and Economic Development, was awarded a grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to perform a statewide broadband mapping study. This study would require a vendor to accomplish all the tasks as specified in the SBDD’s program guidelines.

Delta was retained by Michael Baker, Jr., Inc., to assist in the efforts to gather and compile the required information about Pennsylvania’s broadband providers, including their broadband service area availability, service speeds provided throughout their coverage areas, type of infrastructure to support the broadband services, and the community anchor institutions served.

The full cooperation and participation of the broadband providers was essential to the success of the program, so every effort was made to ensure that each provider understood Delta’s and Baker’s role and how the development of an accurate map would help identify and justify funding of future projects in the Commonwealth. Delta worked with Baker to enlist the involvement of state-level agencies, local authorities, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to provide the support needed for building informative and productive trust relationships with telecommunications industry associations, broadband providers, local government, and community anchor institutions.

As part of the outreach, Delta developed a comprehensive list of broadband service providers in Pennsylvania and provided individualized consultation with each provider as well as facilitated outreach meetings with various broadband service providers to discuss the SBDD guidelines, describe the process by which the collection of the mapping data would occur, and assist with data collection and validation.