The Westmoreland County commissioners are expected to launch a grant program this week to provide funding to help low-income residents access the internet.
Commissioners are slated to vote Thursday on the proposal to establish a digital technology grant program. They also are expected to award three $15,000 grants to local agencies to enable residents to access laptops and online services.
Westmoreland County Planning Director Jason Rigone said the funds are part of the county’s effort to expand broadband access to county residents.
“We want to ensure all our residents, including low-income residents, have the ability to access needed online services,” Rigone said.
The agencies that will receive the funds — the Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette Inc., Westmoreland County YWCA and Westmoreland Community Action — earlier this year received laptop computers through the state’s 2025 Digital Broadband Connectivity Grant program.
PIC received 50 laptops, with most being assigned to offices in Westmoreland County, while the other two agencies each were awarded 25 computers.
The county grants will be used to pay for software licenses and maintenance, Rigone said.
Shannon Singosky, PIC vice president of workforce development and education, said the county funds will ensure the laptops can assist residents in job searches and provide access to additional online services, such as telehealth.
“Some individuals in our community just don’t have access to the internet, something a lot of us take for granted. This is important because so many things out there that are online,” Singosky said.
There are no age restrictions to access the laptops, officials said.
PIC will offer laptop availability at its corporate headquarters in Hempfield, as well as its Pa CareerLink offices in New Kensington and Youngwood.
Rigone said no additional applications for county funding have been submitted.
The grants are part of the more than $10 million in federal American Rescue Plan money the commissioners allocated in 2023 toward expansion of internet services.
The county previously allocated $1.7 million of those funds to install new fiber-optic cable to connect about 400 homes and businesses in Derry, Fairfield and Ligonier townships with high-speed internet. That program is now completed.
Commissioners last year announced a plan to pay $1,500 to $2,500 subsidies to internet providers for each new Westmoreland County customer they connect to broadband services as part of the federally funded Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program.
