Today’s blog talks about the problems encountered by first responders in rural areas related to poor broadband and cellular coverage. The blog was prompted by an excellent report, Beyond Connectivity Among Rural First Responders in Pennsylvania, authored by Christopher Ali, Abigail Simmerman, and DongWood Jeong of The Pennsylvania State University. The report was sponsored by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a legislative agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The findings are not going to surprise anybody who works with public safety in rural areas.

The report is based on the findings from focus groups and interviews with law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs, 911 center representatives, local officials, and other key stakeholders. The in-depth discussions identified multiple problems that hinder public safety work in rural areas:

• The lack of rural cellular coverage means there are rural dead zones where first responders and the public can’t reliably communicate with each other. This means the public often has trouble connecting to 911. It means that first responders struggle with dropped calls and often can’t find the person who needs help. The report cites examples where first responders sometimes have to go door-to-door looking for somebody with a landline in order to communicate locally – which will be an increasing problem as copper networks are being torn down.
• Many jurisdictions have public safety radio networks for first responders to communicate with their home hub. First responders in Pennsylvania complained that there is a major inconsistency between the types of networks being deployed, and that they often find themselves working in an area that uses different radios and frequencies than the radios they are equipped with. They also say that in the mountains that cover Pennsylvania, there are many places where those radio networks don’t reach.
• There were complaints about the astronomical cost of devices. Both cellphones and public safety radios have gotten increasingly expensive. In rural areas, first responders might have to carry multiple cellphones to connect to different carriers.
• There is an overall perception among first responders that they are underfunded and don’t have the resources needed to do a good job in rural areas.

The report goes on to address policy issues that might be addressed by the General Assembly if they want to improve public safety performance in rural areas.

• The rural coverage issues can only be fully addressed with more towers. The report suggests this would be a good use for BEAD non-deployment funds, although it’s looking increasingly unlikely that funding will never be allocated to states.
• The report suggests the legislature could create rules to address the multiple radio frequencies and technologies being used. They note that Pennsylvania has adopted the P25 radio standard to promote interoperability, but that many local jurisdictions have not adopted the standard.
• The report also recommends a program to update and replace outdated radio technologies. Many local jurisdictions are sticking with older radio systems due to budget constraints on buying new ones.
• The report suggests an overall budget increase to provide the money needed to keep up with the ever-increasing cost of radios.
• The report suggests more funding to fully implement NextGen 911. It notes that the state only adopted this standard in 2025 and there has already been intermittent outages.
• Finally, the report recommends creating more awareness among state leadership on the conditions encountered in rural public safety.

This is a long 75-page report that goes into a lot of detail, and that is a good read for anybody living in or concerned about rural America. The problems highlighted in Pennsylvania are not unique and are found in varying degrees in rural areas across the country.