HARRISBURG – As part of her commitment to keep local residents informed on important state-related issues, Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) released her latest podcast today featuring an update on ways Pennsylvania could close its digital divide with a wide-ranging interview with Sascha Meinrath, the Palmer Chair in Telecommunications at Penn State.
“In the midst of a series of public hearings on how best to connect more Pennsylvanians to high-speed internet, I thought it would be very helpful for local listeners to learn more about some of the efforts not only here in Pennsylvania, but across the United States by bringing in a nationally known expert on the topic,” Phillips-Hill said. “I believe listeners who tune in will find some helpful information about where we are headed on this topic that impacts so many local residents.”
As chair of the Senate Communications and Technology Committee, Phillips-Hill is conducting public hearings throughout the state to explore how the lack of high-speed broadband affects different sectors of the state’s economy.
The conversation focuses on how state and federal studies differ on what defines lack of access to high-speed internet. The podcast also looks at how other states have deployed broadband and what has and has not worked when deploying high-speed internet in other areas across the country.
“One of the challenges with this issue is that there are those who want to throw money at the problem while we are still working on quantifying where the problem exists and how much it will cost. If there is a public sector component, we need to thoroughly vet this issue. This conversation with Sascha covers the history of the issue and where we’re headed,” she added.
The program runs approximately 38 minutes.
The Senate Communications and Technology Committee will hold its fourth and final hearing on the issue at the state Capitol on Monday, September 23 at 10 a.m. Meinrath is scheduled to testify at that hearing.
Phillips-Hill’s podcast, as well as instructions on how to subscribe to the podcast can be found on her website at www.SenatorKristin.com/podcast.