Pennsylvania Submits Application to Bridge Broadband Gap
EBENSBURG, Pa., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ – The Pennsylvania Office of Administration (OA) recently submitted an application in anticipation of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) broadband funds distribution. If it’s awarded, the funding would be allocated from the $7.2 billion identified for broadband within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). With the funding, Pennsylvania plans to extend its broadband network to unserved and underserved regions of the state, a major objective of the act.
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The Commonwealth selected L. Robert Kimball & Associates, a leading architecture, engineering, technology and consulting firm, to develop the state’s primary grant application, review departmental broadband plans, and provide a range of support services in pursuit of the broadband funding.
“For many communities across the nation, mobile, desktop and public-safety communications have outpaced the available bandwidth required for acceptable service,” said Joel McCamley, senior vice president and division manager, telecommunications and technology services at L. Robert Kimball & Associates. “In our partnership with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we are eager to ensure that the development of the state’s funding application and all subsequent document creation goes smoothly so that Pennsylvania gains the proper amount of funding in support of its broadband infrastructure upgrades.”
Kimball was responsible for building the state’s grant application package for funding under the NTIA Broadband Technologies Opportunity Program (BTOP) and the RUS Broadband Initiative Program (BIP), as well as carrying out an independent review of broadband needs and plans for the departments of Education, Veterans Affairs and Military and Community Development. Kimball will also provide technical, regulatory, research and consultative support related to securing broadband funding as necessary.
The funding of broadband extension through ARRA holds the potential for changing lives. While much of the legislation’s funding is dedicated to upgrading or preserving existing infrastructure, the broadband provisions are meant to introduce Internet, video and next-generation public safety capabilities into unserved and underserved parts of the country for the first time. Schools, homes and businesses in these areas will be able to overcome the digital divide with broadband, changing the way that residents learn, work, play and communicate.
One important result of broadband extension will be the expansion of capabilities within public safety departments. Broadband lines can serve as a backbone for carrying voice, improved locator information via 9-1-1 calls, video from crime scenes, communications among law-enforcement officers in the field, Internet-based phone services (voice over IP), and other services, all through a single system. Emergency services should be faster, more responsive and more reliable with a broadband backbone.
The Commonwealth will learn late fall or early winter if they were awarded broadband funds.
About L. Robert Kimball & Associates
Established in 1953, L. Robert Kimball & Associates is among the nation’s leading professional service companies offering its clients architectural and engineering design services, civil, environmental and transportation engineering expertise, public safety consulting and communications technology solutions. Kimball is committed to offering its diverse public and private-sector clients a tailored approach designed to meet their needs and budget. Headquartered in Ebensburg, Pa., the company has 12 locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. www.kimballcorp.com
SOURCE L. Robert Kimball & Associates