BROADBAND OUTREACH AGGREGATION FUND (BOAF)
The enactment of Act 183 of 2004 (PA telecommunications modernization law) created the Broadband Outreach and Aggregation Fund (BOAF). This program was established by the Commonwealth to provide assistance for outreach programs regarding the benefits, use and procurement of broadband services as well as aggregating customer demand in communities with little or no broadband service. The BOAF program also requires local telephone companies to respond to the new demand for services in a more timely fashion. Through this program, NEPA will undertake comprehensive broadband educational outreach initiatives and aggregate customer demand within our seven county region of Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill and Wayne. Further, NEPA will assist identified communities initiate the process of securing high speed broadband service.
Bona-Fide Retail Request (BFRR) Program
The demand created by outreach through the BOAF program will assist NEPA in providing BFRR services to residents in the NEPA region. The BFRR program was additionally created under Act 183 legislation and it requires telecommunication companies to provide high-speed Internet access to all customers by no later than 2015. The process of the BFRR is involves customers of Verizon, Embarq (formerly Sprint), and Windstream (formerly Alltel). Customers will submit a BFRR form, once a certain number of customers in a “carrier serving area” have submitted the required number of forms the telephone companies are then required by law to make Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) service available to customers within 365 days.
Carrier Serving Areas
Telephone companies use maps to divide specific geographic areas into Carrier Serving Areas (CSA). The CSA will place remote terminals within a specific area to provide high-speed Internet service to all lines within the CSA. Usually, a CSA will include all the homes and businesses within a 2 mile range of the terminals. To find where your CSA is or to find out what CSA maps are available please check below. If your community is not represented please feel free to contact Joe Chacke at jchacke@nepa-alliance.org or 570-655-5581 and he will work to attain the desired maps.
Required BFRR Forms
Once the telephone companies receive BFRR forms for high-speed Internet Service from 50 telephone lines or 25 percent of the telephone lines in a carrier serving area, whichever is less, the company will have one year to make high-speed Internet service available to the customers in that area.
BFRR Request Forms
Click here to view the Verizon BFRR Form
Click here to view the Embarq (formerly Sprint) BFRR Form
Click here to view the Windstream (formerly Alltel) BFRR Form
Additionally, NEPA can mail these forms to you as well. If you would prefer to have a form mailed or faxed please call Joe Chacke at 570-655-5581
The completed BFRR Forms can be sent to:
Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance
1151 Oak Street
Pittston, PA 18640
Attn: BFRR Coordinator – Joe Chacke
Program Contacts:
Ryan McGowan
Local Government Specialist
Community and Government Services Division
1151 Oak Street
Pittston, PA 18640
570-655-5581
EMAIL: Ryan McGowan
Brian Langan
Local Government Specialist
Community and Government Services Division
1151 Oak Street
Pittston, PA 18640
570-655-5581
EMAIL: Brian Langan
