Pennsylvania will receive nearly $1.2 billion in federal funding to establish or improve high-speed internet service in unserved and under-served areas, thanks in part to the Penn State Extension.

Penn State Extension educators developed tools to evaluate the accuracy of industry-provided data to assist the state’s process of challenging discrepancies in Federal Communications Commission maps of broadband service availability. This helped the authority identify more than 50,000 Pennsylvania service-availability claims that incorrectly reported having access to high-speed internet and to submit challenges to the FCC by the Jan. 13 deadline, according to the extension.

“Extension’s mapping effort resulting in more than 100 million additional dollars awarded to Pennsylvania demonstrates its value as a regional, national and international leader and partner, central to Penn State’s land-grant mission of teaching, research and public service,” said Penn State president Neeli Bendapudi.

Pennsylvania’s allocation from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is part of $42.5 billion in broadband funding. The average total allocation across all states and U.S. territories was just under $743 million, said James Ladlee, state program leader for Extension’s Emerging and Advanced Technology Initiative.

“Partly as a result of Penn State’s work, the commonwealth was one of only 19 states whose funding allocation topped $1 billion,” Ladlee said.