Apr 26, 2023 2 min read

More than 600 homes and businesses in Hanover Township and Burgettstown will be able to access high-speed internet under Washington County’s continuing broadband expansion plan.

Washington County’s board of commissioners has approved an $8.1 million project to bring broadband to the locations in the northern part of the county, using funds within the federal American Rescue Plan Act that were allocated for expanding access to broadband internet. The project got underway in January 2022, when high-speed internet was brought to 50 homes and the Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village near Avella, and has included areas around such communities as Bentleyville and West Finley.

Expanding broadband has been a marquee priority in Washington County and in other communities, with lawmakers and business leaders viewing access to high-speed internet as being a key factor to expanding economic and educational opportunities. Washington County Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan said “access to high-speed internet is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.” She said expanding broadband access to residents of rural communities will provide them “with the tools necessary to thrive in today’s digital age.”

The county is teaming up with Comcast for the project. Overall, the broadband expansion should cover 6,500 underserved customers in 10 areas of the county. Larry Maggi, a Washington County commissioner, said the work “is not done.”

“We have many more of our residents that need help,” he explained. Maggi said seniors and veterans need access “and the ability to work with doctors with telemedicine.” He also said businesses need the ability to communicate with employees who could be working remotely and with students who need to access materials online.

Communities that are next on the list for broadband expansion include those that make up the Bentworth School District and South Strabane, according to John Timney, executive director of the Washington County Authority.