Commissioners approve HRG broadband assessment to map unserved and underserved areas
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Sign Up Free
Summary
The board approved a two-year broadband assessment to identify unserved and underserved areas and to align county assets with state BEAD opportunities; the contract was described as budgeted at $156,300 and will be reviewed by the county solicitor before execution.
The Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners on July 2 approved a broadband assessment plan to be performed by engineering firm HRG, a step county officials said is intended to identify gaps in wired and wireless Internet access and position the county for state and federal broadband funding.
Chief Financial Officer Dave Bozzoni told commissioners the retention aligns with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s interest in expanding broadband and that the county’s existing wireless (microwave/line-of-sight) network provides a foundation for further work. Mike Brown, chief information officer, described the county’s wireless system — in place since 2013 — as already saving the county roughly $400,000 annually by linking public-safety and county offices and said the assessment will target areas with less than 25 megabits per second download (commonly categorized as underserved) and areas with no service.
Brown said the county’s approach aims to create connection points other Internet service providers can use, help first responders reach 911 at no cost via the county network, and support telemedicine and library access for senior residents. Commissioners discussed the possibility of forming an authority to govern an open-network design and to facilitate broadband buildout by private providers; Brown said the authority concept would create a governance structure that allows county infrastructure to be used by businesses and ISPs to reach residents.
The contract cost was discussed in public comments and by commissioners; a later public exchange identified the HRG contract as $156,300 over two years and indicated that amount is budgeted in the current year. The board approved Resolution 25-0161 to accept the HRG assessment product pending solicitor review of the agreement.
Commissioners framed the assessment as both an economic-development and equity initiative intended to help residents and businesses across downtown Scranton, boroughs such as Blakely and rural townships.
Action and next steps The resolution approved the assessment plan pending county-solicitor review of the HRG agreement. County staff said the assessment will produce a countywide map of service levels, identify strategic connection points for ISPs, and create an inventory that can be submitted to state funding programs such as BEAD. Procurement, final contract execution and the assessment timeline will follow solicitor review and usual contracting procedures.