Broadband standards have significantly evolved, yet a decades-old law passed in Pennsylvania has broadband stuck in a time capsule. The Sun-Gazette reported that in 2004, lawmakers passed a bill stating that 1.544 Mbps download speeds were the standard to ensure all residents had access to broadband, including rural areas.
At the time, lawmakers were trying to predict the future of broadband to guarantee universal access to high-speed internet in Pennsylvania. However, the Mbps speeds originated from a deal cut with existing landline phone companies in 1993, who agreed to extend broadband across the state in exchange for less regulation and more profits. Nearly 20 years ago, legislators decided to renew the same standard despite industry experts warning that technology was changing rapidly.
According to the Sun-Gazette, in the early 2000s, phone companies said Pennsylvania’s definition of broadband was “a lot more aggressive” than federal government standards. Fast forward to 2015, and the federal standard for download speeds was 16 times faster than Pennsylvania’s.
Today, the phone companies are in the clear on a technicality: they’re complying with state law even if offering speeds lower than the federal minimum. “Unfortunately, you can’t manage technological change in statute — it’s living and breathing,” said David Bonsick, a lobbyist for the Pennsylvania Telephone Association, representing most of the companies required by law to provide broadband.
Since 2016, Rep. Pam Snyder has introduced three bills to increase the state’s definition of broadband, and none have been put up for a committee vote. Last year, Rep. Perry Stambaugh also presented a similar bill that died in committee.
“The state adopted speeds in the early 1990s but then moved on,” said Snyder. “Thirty years ago, they were ahead of their time, but those speeds “don’t even come close to providing people what they need in today’s world,” she said.
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