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Greene County gets $2.5M grant for broadband investment

2 min read

The Appalachian Regional Commission has awarded a $2.5 million grant to Greene County so broadband access can be expanded to more than 700 homes in three communities.

The project will target unserved or underserved homes in the areas around Graysville, New Freeport and Spraggs. It includes all or portions of six townships: Aleppo, Freeport, Gilmore, Perry, Springhill and Wayne. About 105 miles of fiber-optoic cable will be installed.

Increasing broadband access has been a priority among officials in Greene County and in other rural parts of Pennsylvania. Last year, more than $3 million was put toward broadband improvements in Greene, using money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and capital investments from the telephone service company Windstream. The company is also putting forward $2.7 million for the latest expansion of service, bringing the total cost to $5.2 million.

In a news release, Greene County Commissioner Betsy McClure said, “In our continual search for funding to increase service, reliability and speed of our broadband capabilities, this is the next step, and we are grateful for this opportunity.”

The $2.5 million earmarked for Greene County is a slice of a $46.4 million package the Appalachian Regional Commission has put together for 57 projects across 184 communities affected by job losses related to the coal industry.

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