Pickett Announces Broadband Grant for Bradford County Company

March 22, 2022

HARRISBURG – Claverack Communications LLC of Wysox today was awarded state funds in the amount of $955,762 to assist with a broadband expansion project in Bradford County, announced Rep. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna). 

The funding was made available through the Unserved High-Speed Broadband Funding Program (UHSB), which was created by the Legislature and is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Pickett played a key role in securing the grant. 

“As we have learned during the pandemic, efficient broadband services have reached a critical point as more and more people work from home and students attend classrooms remotely,” said Pickett. “Unfortunately, there remain areas in my district where residents and businesses do not have access to high-speed internet service. I am so pleased this grant was approved, as it will allow Claverack Communications to move forward with its broadband expansion project in an unserved area of Bradford County.” 

Claverack plans to expand its high-speed broadband network to include 267 potential service connections in areas of Asylum, Standing Stone and Wyalusing townships by installing 28 miles of fiberoptic cable. The total project cost is nearly $1.3 million. 

The UHSB program provides grants to bring middle-mile and last-mile high-speed broadband service to unserved areas in Pennsylvania. Funds may be used for acquisition, construction, equipment and site preparation costs associated with the deployment of broadband infrastructure.

The grant was approved by the Commonwealth Financing Authority, which was established as an independent agency that holds fiduciary responsibility over the funding of programs and investments in Pennsylvania’s economic growth.