Thompson Announces $451,315 for Forest County Broadband Project

WASHINGTON— Today, U.S. Representative Glenn "GT" Thompson announced that Forest County is the recipient of a $451,315 Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant. The grant will supplement local funds to deploy two broadband towers and a 911 repeater, to improve the county's emergency radio communications. The project will offer broadband services to 387 households and 15 businesses. In addition to the ARC grant, the county will provide $118,885, bringing the total cost of the project to $570,200.

"More than 18 million Americans lack access to broadband, particularly in rural areas, such as Forest County. These funds will enable the county to bring modern connectivity to Forest County at a rate of five times the current upload and download speeds available," Rep. Thompson said. "I applaud the Forest County Commissioners for recognizing this critical need and working towards bringing our region in the future. It is imperative that we continue to work towards narrowing the digital divide," said Thompson.

Bailey Thompson, Forest County Community and Economic Development Director, said, "The Board of Commissioners have chosen these two locations to yield the highest return and improve the connectivity of county residents. This broadband project revolutionizes the capabilities for local businesses to operate at higher efficiency and expand their businesses on the online market. Also, the ability for Forest Area School District's students to connect remotely to access their classes will greatly become improved, a service that has become essential because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon completion of this broadband project, Forest County will be installing radio transmitters on both towers to expand and improve the communication capabilities of our local fire and EMS services. The Board of Commissioners are grateful to have the opportunity to support our local first responders."

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ABOUT THE ARC

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian region. ARC's mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity, strengthen economic growth in Appalachia, and help the region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.