Candidate Survey Form

Name(Required)
1. Broadband deployment expansion projects face massive delays because providers must navigate different permitting rules across PA’s 2,600-plus individual local municipalities. Broadband companies often face months of local red tape and different rules in every single PA municipality before they can place new wires. Would you support a statewide law to standardize and speed up the permitting process to get communities connected faster?
2. In addition to local and state government permitting, broadband companies often encounter difficulties with power companies to attach to poles and with railroads when needing to cross rail lines, often resulting in lengthy delays. Would you support state government intervention to reduce these obstacles?
3. If yes to the above question, which of the following would you support? (You can choose more than one)
4. Phone carriers in Pennsylvania currently collect the state 911 telephone surcharge on wireless, wireline, and VoIP phone lines, as well as per retail transaction for pre-paid wireless services. The surcharge, now at $1.95 per month fee, was last raised in 2024 from $1.65 per month and will expire in 2029. Counties are advocating raising that fee to $2.20, claiming that additional money is needed to adequately fund county 911 centers and new technology. Should counties look at reducing 911 costs, possibly by regionalizing or consolidating 911 centers, before increasing fees for taxpayers?
5. In its allocation of federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funds, the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) shifted its plans so that nearly 23% of eligible rural locations will be served by satellite internet instead of high-speed fiber-optic cables to save upfront costs. The state is using cheaper satellite internet for nearly a quarter of rural PA homes to stretch federal dollars. Do you support using these lower-tier quick fixes, or should we invest state resources into building permanent, high-speed fiber-optic networks for every Pennsylvanian?
6. The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) is an independent, 11-member agency created under Act 96 of 2021 to close the digital divide across the Commonwealth. Housed within the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), the authority centralizes the planning, deployment, and funding distribution for high-speed internet infrastructure. Do you favor making PDBA a permanent office in Pennsylvania?
7. Dozens of pieces of legislation addressing the development of data centers are currently introduced with more expected in the new session next year. Some definitions would classify cable and broadband head-end centers as data centers. These head-ends have operated in communities across the state without issue or complaints for years. Would you support legislation that would exempt these head-ends?
BCAP and PA Cable PAC thank you for your time and consideration in your responses. We also thank you for your dedication to wanting to serve Pennsylvania in elected office.

Section Break