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Alleghenies Broadband briefs Bedford County on BEAD awards; seven tower sites moving to construction
Summary
Alleghenies Broadband Project Manager Dustin Bishop updated the Bedford County commissioners on the BEAD program, mapping county coverage, explaining awardee selection, and saying seven tower sites (two existing, five new) are in construction with a projected completion of February 2027.
Dustin Bishop, project manager for Alleghenies Broadband, Inc., presented an overview of Pennsylvania’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program at the Bedford County commissioners’ May 12 meeting. Bishop said BEAD funding comes from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and is administered in Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA). He showed a PBDA map indicating which county locations were slated for service and explained the scoring criteria used to select awardees.
Bishop said the project in Bedford County is now in a construction phase on seven tower sites—two existing towers and five new sites—and that the program remains on pace for the contractor’s projected February 2027 completion. He also outlined that some unmapped areas may already receive service or have had projects awarded through other federal or state programs. When Commissioner Winck asked about the open access network model and service levels, Bishop described how the mapping reflects different providers, tiers of service, and pricing structures.
County officials said Bishop will continue to update staff and the public as further contract and construction details become available. The presentation emphasized the BEAD objective of prioritizing unserved and underserved locations and expanding affordable fiber and fixed wireless options for residents.
