We can respect the tension or sense of internal conflict many of our leaders — in both the private and public sectors — must feel about the efforts under way to bring more broadband to rural Pennsylvania communities.

We understand that the expansion of rural broadband brings so much potential to parts of our region — it can be a lifeline to businesses and employers open to creating more jobs, it can help rural Pennsylvania retain young workers needed to keep communities economically viable, it can augment the infrastructure so that elderly Pennsylvanians have better access to health care and vital services, it can keep rural public schools competitive.

We also understand reservations about government spending — that federal and state programs are too slow and impervious to adaptation to effectively manage this project and that federal stewardship, in an age of a $34 trillion national debt, is fiscally irresponsible.

A report by The Center Square does little to relieve those concerns.

Testimony from local officials depict a process paralyzed by competing mandates and interests of state agencies and offices. with federal wage requirements driving up costs and slowing work down, with some officials telling Todd Eachus of the Broadband Communications Associations of Pennsylvania that the provisions are “as much a jobs bill as a broadband access bill.”

Some of the testimony indicates what should likely be obvious to us and our readers — that the most helpful thing the state and federal governments could do, rather than spending billions, is simply get out of the way.

As you’ve noted in regards to other issues, Pennsylvania needs permitting reform. A more streamlined, efficient permitting process here also would help get work on broadband access started.

Relaxing wage requirements and rights-of-way hurdles would further allow this important work to advance at a faster pace and lower cost.

We believe broadband expansion is important — and especially critical for our more rural communities. But we also believe that we all must acknowledge that, once again, the government throwing money at a problem without regard for how its own bureaucracy and obstinance hinders practical solutions to that problem is not the best course.