Broadband Expansion

Current Projects

In a much needed effort to expand equal access to broadband - it was made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also known as the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue. Washington County Commissioner, Diana Irey Vaughan, stated “the focus of our initiative is to offer equitable access to broadband in underserved regions of Washington County. The pandemic demonstrated the need for more reliable broadband in areas with existing access and, more importantly, bringing broadband to unserved communities, schools and businesses.”

The ARPA provided relief to state and local governments that had been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. This includes assistance to small business, premium pay for essential workers, and investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.

Avella, was the first broadband expansion program, also known as the pilot, which was launched winter 2021 using federal American Rescue Plan Act stimulus funds. There are 5 locations that we are actively working on - Scenery Hill, Beallsville, Glyde and West Finley & Bentleyville.

We hope to eventually ensure all of Washington County has equal access to stable broadband connection, one township at a time!

  • Avella

    The home of the pilot program designed to bring high-speed internet to rural areas in Washington County. It is also home to Meadowcroft Rockshelter - known as the oldest site of human habitation in North America.

  • Beallsville

    Commissioners Larry Maggi and Nick Sherman approved two contracts with DQE in which the county will pay $45,091 for installation of broadband in Glyde and $29,153 in Beallsville. Overall, the county will pay a total of $109,772 for total installation along the Route 40 corridor, while DQE will contribute $346,500 for the project.

  • Glyde

    Commissioners Larry Maggi and Nick Sherman approved contract with DQE in which the county will pay $45,091 for installation of broadband in Glyde.

  • West Finley Township

    The West Finley portion of the project – which is considered one of the most unserved and underserved areas in the county – will bring broadband to 529 homes and 13 businesses.

    Kinetic by Windstream will administer the fiber broadband project, bringing 1 gigabyte service to 542 locations in West Finley with 67 miles of broadband lines.

  • Scenery Hill

    High-speed internet is coming to Scenery Hill soon! That includes the 97 houses and five businesses in Scenery Hill that the county announced last month will receive high-speed services.

  • Bentleyville

    Kinetic by Windstream will administer the fiber broadband project, bringing 1 gigabyte service to 402 locations in Bentleyville.

    The work will take about two years. The 1 gigabyte service far exceeds the federal minimum speed of 100 megabits per second, of data service.

Past Projects

Southpointe II

Southpointe II was developed by the Washington County Authority in conjunction with private development partners and investors. It has already created 6,000 jobs and is projected to create an additional 1,000 jobs. The commissioners turned the property over to the Washington County Authority for development. It neared completion in 2013 with over 800 acres.

Correctional Facility

The first project sponsored by the Washington County Authority was the rebuilding of a new correctional facility in April 1996.

UPenn

The Washington County Authority helped the University of Pennsylvania with a $50M+ bond over 30 years. The loan has a maturity date of 2034.