Westmoreland residents need to log internet speed if county is to qualify for federal cash

Westmoreland County is looking at internet speed, and fast.

County officials put out a last-minute call urging residents to participate in online testing of existing internet services as part of a necessary requirement to qualify for funds needed to enhance local broadband infrastructure.

Testing needs to be completed before Thursday and can be accessed at: https://spcbeadchallenge.com/.

“It is required information to show speed tests, to show the speed of internet in underserved and unserved locations so we can collect that data to send in so we can be in good position to collect funds at a later date,” said Westmoreland County Planning Department Director Jason Rigone.

The county is seeking a slice from the $1.16 billion in federal funds allocated to Pennsylvania for broadband improvement projects. The money is being administered by the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority.

County officials conducted a series of speed tests in early 2023 as part of a previous round of funding, but additional testing was required this year to identify areas in need of broadband upgrades. Rigone said the county suspects as many as 1,500 homes and businesses are located in areas without adequate access to high-speed internet.

“They are scattered throughout the county, but a lot are in the northern corridor including the Derry area, Loyalhanna and other locations including Sewickley and South Huntingdon,” Rigone said.

Residents in those locations as well as throughout the county are being asked to participate in testing, which can be accessed through a portal set up by the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission to access local internet service and determine data transfer speeds.

Three days of testing at each location is required, meaning the residents must begin the process no later than May 20, Rigone said.

Work started earlier this year on a county-financed $1.7 million project to install broadband infrastructure in Derry, Fairfield and Ligonier townships that when completed this fall is expected to provide high-speed internet access to more than 400 properties previously without access. About 30 miles of fiber optic cable in being installed as part of that effort.

The county last year allocated $10 million in American Rescue Plan funds received as part of the federal government’s covid relief efforts to complete additional broadband upgrades.

Those plans involved partnerships with national broadband providers to install new service lines that when completed could upgrade internet service for as many as 2,000 residents.

Projects include installation of broadband infrastructure to about 1,000 to 1,200 locations north of Route 30 and another 800 locations south of Route 30. County officials learned in April that those programs were not funded by the state’s broadband authority.

Rigone said officials will seek inclusion in the next round of funding for additional broadband projects.

“We’ve got to get this testing done so we’re in line for funding,” Rigone said.