(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

2020 proved that anything and everything could change, and 2021 is trying to shift that change in a positive direction–at least in the eyes of the Beaver County Office of Planning & Redevelopment.

The BCOPR, in conjunction with Michael Baker International, will begin a public survey of fixed and mobile broadband availability throughout Beaver County on May 10. Their goal is to provide access and effective use of technology for residents and businesses alike, and to bridge any gaps between high-speed and low-speed usage.

One of the biggest pushers of the new survey is County Commissioner Jack Manning, who spoke to Beaver County Radio about the importance on improving the amount of technology throughout the county in lieu of last year’s chaos.

“We certainly saw during COVID,” said Manning, “the impact it had on education and the impact it had on working from home. Broadband is an eligible infrastructure expenditure, and that’s what we hope to do–to find out what the need is, what the different solutions are, and be able to apply that money to make this thing much better for Beaver County.”

Michael Baker International will perform tasks including (but not limited to): taking photographs of utility poles and associated infrastructure, performing mobile internet tests for upload and download speed, placing door hangers at the entry ways of businesses being surveyed, and communicating with the owners of those businesses and residents.

The online survey can also be done by the general public on their internet-use devices (laptop, phone, tablet, etc.) by going to the link on the Beaver County home page, or by going to connectbeavercounty.com to find the speed of their internet. “We ask people to do it as many times as they can,” Manning suggested, “so that we get better data points—cause sometimes the signal is a lot stronger at some points in the day as opposed to others of peak demand.”

For questions and more info, contact BCOPR director Lance Grable at 724-770-4422 or email at lgrable@beavercountypa.gov.

ALLEGHENY – Reps. Carrie Lewis DelRosso (R-Allegheny/Westmoreland) and Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) – in collaboration with Sen. Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland), who released a statement on Friday – issued the following statement regarding U.S. Steel’s cancellation of its $1 billion investment project:

“As U.S. Steel President and Chief Executive Officer David Burritt noted, Pennsylvania is not competitive with other states. Permitting takes way too long, which delays projects to the point that we lose opportunities. That’s exactly what happened with U.S. Steel. And with the loss of the $1 billion investment project, we also lose infrastructure money because there’s no revenue streams because the jobs were pulled.

“There’s nothing western PA needs more than jobs and money to invest in infrastructure. Yet, we let the false narrative of environmental concerns steal family-sustaining jobs from Commonwealth families. Having goods manufactured in Pennsylvania benefits the environment because we know how to do things right – unlike foreign countries, where these jobs are being driven, that have little to no environmental or labor standards. Somehow, certain people are convinced that we must choose between saving the planet and saving families in the area from financial distress. That’s simply not the case, and now, we have to brace ourselves for higher rates of crime and blight because the jobs are gone.

“But unlike others, we’re not willing to accept that. No, we’re going to fight back against the job loss, against the blight, against the crime. The revitalization of western Pennsylvania can happen through a job infusion and infrastructure investments, and that’s why we support a package of bills called the Commonwealth’s COVID Comeback. The pro-jobs, pro-families and pro-growth initiative is all about incentivizing manufacturers and providing protections to small businesses, as well as offering tax and regulatory reform.

“U.S. Steel’s announcement is all the more reason to push for real reform in Harrisburg, and we will work to make this awful news the last of its kind that Western Pennsylvanians will have to hear.”

Facebook board upholds Trump suspension
By MATT O’BRIEN and BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Former President Donald Trump won’t return to Facebook — for now. The social network’s quasi-independent Oversight Board voted to uphold his ban from the platform after his account was suspended four months ago for inciting violence that led to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot. While upholding the suspension, the board faulted Facebook for the way it made the decision, calling it “not appropriate” to suspend him indefinitely. The board says Facebook has six months to reexamine its “arbitrary” penalty.