CLEARFIELD – Rural broadband internet has become a critical need in Clearfield County.
During Tuesday’s board meeting, the county commissioners approved a professional service agreement with Mission Critical Partners of Port Matilda at a cost of $49,982.
The company will conduct a comprehensive study to determine the county’s broadband internet needs, according to Commissioner John A. Sobel, board chairman.
Mission Critical is already working with Jefferson County, and with Elk County also a possibility, there’s potential for a regional component, Sobel said.
“Broadband is a critical need in rural Pennsylvania, in rural America, but for us to address it and take advantage of American Rescue Act, other monies available, we have to know the need.”
As part of the study, Mission Critical will engage with internet providers in Clearfield County to identify their coverage areas and service options.
For those outside service areas, there will be a survey component to the study, according to Commissioner Dave Glass, and more information will follow at a later date.
“There’s been a legitimate concern from a fair number of citizens about the online survey and how they’ll do this, but we have some ideas.
“We’ll meet people where they are because the more people who participate, the more data we will have. The better data we have, the more we’ll be able to fix this problem.”
The survey itself will take several months to complete, and the remaining process will take some time – years – before broadband is actually available. “But this is the starting point,” Glass said.