(HARRISBURG, Pa.)State Representative Rob Matzie, Democratic Chairman of the House Consumer Affairs Committee, led yesterday’s House Democratic Policy Committee on bridging the digital divide.

The hearing is the third in a series this week focused on net neutrality and bridging the gap to improve future outcomes for educators, students, health care access and Pennsylvania businesses.

“This hearing was a great cap on the weeks’ discussions on how we can make sure Pennsylvania is digitally connected. The last year has shown us that reliable internet, computers and phone help keep us learning, working, entertained, managing health and in touch with family and friends. I thank Chairman Matzie for leading the discussion and look forward to a public-private partnership that helps close the divide,” said Ryan Bizzarro, chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee.

“Quick, reliable Internet access isn’t a luxury in today’s world – it’s a necessity,” said Matzie. “Those without it face major disadvantages when it comes to competing for jobs, accessing health and education services and connecting to state programs. I’m hosting this hearing because we need to develop solutions to bridge this digital divide now, before it threatens to disenfranchise more Pennsylvanians.”

The committee heard testimony from Brian Barno, Broadband Cable Association of Pennsylvania; Joseph Glinka, government affairs director with Gateway Health; David Kerr, president of external affairs at AT&T; and Erica Swanson, head of community engagement at Grow with Google.

Barno shared that connections can help improve quality of life and are oftentimes a pathway out of poverty, allowing individuals to no longer need the safety net of public services and live with dignity. Ultimately, these individuals who receive the full benefit of connectivity are able to achieve productivity and participate and contribute to a more robust Pennsylvania economy.

Glinka explained that while Gateway is happy to connect people to resources, they are thrilled when clients’ lives are improved to the point that they no longer have to rely on them for services. Access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet has been described as a super-determinant of health by public health experts and is an integral part of the work they do.

AT&T President David Kerr shared that current expansions have been a result of private investment to expand networks and have not included taxpayer funded efforts.

Google’s Erica Swanson’s testimony focused on the digital skills needed for businesses and job seekers to find success including sharing many free resources Google offers. Over 6 million Americans have been trained in digital skills through free Grow with Google Workshops since 2017.

(WASHINGTON, DC) –  Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an allocation of vaccines for National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) employees so that they may resume processing military personnel, health, and medical records requests and address the backlog of requests due to the closure of the facility amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.  Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17), a member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (HVAC), has been advocating for a resolution to this matter which is affecting veterans and their families in PA-17.  The vaccination plan will enable a safe return to work for many NPRC employees who have been working remotely since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last November, Lamb joined 232 Members of Congress in a bipartisan letter urging NPRC to implement new policies to ensure veterans had access to their service records in response to a high volume of calls his office received.  One such constituent was a 102-year-old WWII veteran on hospice who requested his military personnel files so that Veterans Benefits Administration could process his claim for the benefits he had earned.  Because this was not considered a life or death situation, the request was not expedited, and the constituent died without receiving benefits.

“My office has been inundated with requests for help from veterans and their families who have been unable to access their military service records, and that is absolutely unacceptable,” said Lamb.  “Expanding vaccination opportunities for NPRC employees will help resolve this request backlog and get veterans the help they need.  But we also need to find a way to securely bring our archive system into the 21st century to ensure this never happens to the veterans who have served our country again.”

VA Secretary Denis McDonough testified at a March 25th HVAC hearing on the importance of addressing the records request backlog.  The NPRC has struggled to keep up with requests for veterans’ records since operations were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic a year ago, and there is a current backlog of 480,000 requests.  NPRC is a division of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

The American Rescue Plan provided $272 million for VA to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on the benefits claims and appeals backlog.  The funding will be used to increase staff overtime; expand Veterans Benefits Administration-funded scanning of service records from federal records facilities impacted by COVID-19; improve scheduling of hearings; and enhance contact center functions.

Christians mark Good Friday as some holy sites reopen
By JOSEPH KRAUSS Associated Press
JERUSALEM (AP) — Christians in the Holy Land are marking Good Friday this year amid signs the coronavirus crisis is winding down. Many religious sites are open to limited numbers of faithful but there will be none of the mass pilgrimages usually seen in the Holy Week leading up to Easter. Last year, Jerusalem was under a strict lockdown. This year, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, died and rose from the dead, is open to visitors but only expecting a few dozen. The virus is still raging in the Philippines, France, Brazil and other predominantly Christian countries.

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) The Beaver Falls Police Department via their Facebook Page is advising residents that street sweeping in the City of Beaver Falls will begin This Sunday Night, April 4, 2021, at midnight. The Department is asking you to please get into the habit of moving your vehicles so that the Street Department can properly clean the streets in the city.

Justices uphold FCC’s easing of local media ownership limits
By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has unanimously upheld federal regulators’ decision to ease ownership limits on local media, rejecting a claim that the change would hurt minority and female ownership. The court ruled Thursday that the Federal Communications Commission acted reasonably in 2017 when it modified rules that predated the internet. The old rules prohibited a single entity from owning a radio or TV station and a daily newspaper in the same media market. They also limited how many radio and TV stations one company could own in a single market and restricted the number of TV stations a company could operate in one media market.

OPEC and allies agree to gradually boost crude oil output
By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The OPEC oil cartel and allied countries say they have decided to gradually add back some 2 million barrels per barrel per day of oil production from May to July. They’re moving cautiously in pace with the recovery of the global economy from the COVID-19 pandemic. The group is gingerly adding back production that was slashed last year to support prices as demand sagged during the worst of the pandemic recession, which sapped demand for fuel. The group will add back 350,000 barrels per day in May, 350,000 in June, and 400,000 in July. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia will restore an additional 1 million barrels per day that it made on its own.