Pennsylvania Broadband Authority opens Round 2 of device grant; four Round 1 awardees describe local uses

The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority on a statewide webinar outlined Round 2 of its Capital Projects Fund Digital Connectivity Technology Program (DCTP), which provides Windows laptops to public-facing community organizations to support broadband access, digital literacy and related workforce, education and health uses. "The main goal of the Digital Connectivity Technology Program is to provide digital services in the form of devices to community serving organizations in order to facilitate broadband Internet access throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," said Kaylee Snyder, Outreach and Engagement Manager for the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA).

The program is funded through the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund established under the American Rescue Plan Act; PBDA staff said about $20,000,000 is available to support device procurement statewide. PBDA contracted with HP to procure a 13.3-inch HP EliteBook running Windows 11 Pro; staff said each device with warranty and shipping currently costs a little over $2,900 and that full awards include a four-year factory warranty and accidental damage coverage.

Why it matters: the DCTP is explicitly aimed at organizations that provide public-facing services in places where affordability has been identified as a barrier to broadband adoption. Eligible institutions include libraries, community schools, workforce-training organizations, municipalities, nonprofit community anchor institutions and similar entities. PBDA staff emphasized that grantees must demonstrate how device lending or on-site access will advance digital equity and enable at least one use in workforce, education or health (examples given: booking a telemedicine appointment, searching for a job, or taking an online class).

Program basics and timeline - Minimum devices per award: 20; maximum: 200. No cash match is required, although applicants may show matching funds for programmatic purposes. - Applications opened April 1 and will be open for 60 days; PBDA staff said the Round 2 deadline is May 30. - PBDA expects to review applications in early to mid-summer (June–July), make awards around September, finalize contracts in November–December and ship devices in early 2026. Quarterly reporting will be required through the grant’s period of performance, which staff said ends on 12/31/2026; a final program report is due in March 2027.

Eligibility, ownership and reporting PBDA staff repeated that awardees must be public-facing institutions and must show how access will be open to the public or to covered populations identified in the Digital Equity plan. "Grantees will not receive any actual funds through the award. Instead, the PBDA contracted with HP to procure the 13.3 HP EliteBook," Snyder said. PBDA staff also stressed that grantees retain ownership and reporting responsibilities for devices throughout the period of performance. "Contracts you signed state that you must maintain the laptops for 5 years. We are done with reporting by 12/31/2026," said Julia Bridal, Director of Digital Community Investment.

PBDA said devices may be loaned to individuals for use at home or made available for use inside the grantee’s public facility; grantees may not charge individuals to use the devices. Loan-term length is determined by the grantee and should be described in the application. PBDA staff noted that if a grantee lends a device and it is lost, stolen or destroyed beyond warranty, the grantee is responsible for replacing it during the period of performance.

Training and partnerships PBDA staff emphasized that awardees must provide or make available digital skills and training for device users. The agency highlighted SkillUP PA, a partnership program with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry offering thousands of course options, and said awardees may also use existing local training. "Applicants will need to detail this information within their application," said Dr. Stephanie Perry, Workforce and Digital Program Specialist.

Round 1 awardees describe deployment plans Four organizations that received devices in Round 1 joined the webinar to share deployment experience. - Manor College (Tom, advancement officer and instructor) said the college applied for devices to support commuter students and community members and intends to make laptops available both for student learning and for community checkout. - Tech Central (Violet Emery) said it was awarded 100 laptops and plans to use some devices on-site and to run off-site digital literacy sessions with partners including the local housing authority and the Literacy Council. - Tech 2 Elevate (Trish Diglioto, executive director) said the organization received 25 laptops to open a digital learning lab for in-person classes and one-on-one coaching and that a local partner provided furniture through a matching arrangement. - Reading Public Library (Sid Espinal) said the library received 40 laptops and runs the devices through a standard loan process tied to a library card and a signed user policy.

Questions and clarifications from applicants During a 45-minute Q&A, PBDA staff answered eligibility questions: nonprofit community centers, senior centers, libraries and many private schools can be eligible if they clearly explain how devices will be made available to the public. PBDA said for-profit entities are generally ineligible; a nonprofit arm of a combined entity may apply but the for-profit arm is not eligible. Staff said the agency would evaluate whether proposals meet the affordability test, which PBDA determines using census-block-level data in the program guidelines.

Reporting and maintenance PBDA requires quarterly reporting from awardees documenting program activity, loan policies, number of people served and other program metrics; a training on reporting will be provided to awardees. PBDA staff reiterated that grantees are responsible for device maintenance and replacement during the period of performance.

What PBDA asked applicants to supply PBDA asked applicants to describe: how devices will be used to support workforce, education and/or health outcomes; loan policies and device management; the population(s) to be served; partnerships; and plans for digital-skills training or links to SkillUP PA courses.

Ending PBDA closed the webinar by encouraging potential applicants to consult the program guidelines on the PBDA Capital Projects Fund web page and to submit questions to the resource account posted in chat. The agency reiterated the May 30 application deadline and said staff will begin application reviews in June.