HAVE A QUESTION? Email it to tbrant@pawilds.com and the ombudsman will try to get it answered. Please put “FAQ” in the subject line.

My business needs high-speed internet, but it's not available where I live. What can I do?

I’m a tourism business in the PA Wilds and would like to use the PA Wilds logo on my brochures. Is that OK?

People in my town seem skeptical of tourism. What can I do?

I’m a small tourism business and I need financial help. I heard there were PA Wilds tourism grants available. Is that true?

MY BUSINESS NEEDS HIGH-SPEED INTERNET, BUT IT'S NOT AVAILABLE WHERE I LIVE. WHAT CAN I DO?

According to state officials, Pennsylvania has one of the country’s most aggressive broadband deployment commitments – by 2015 every city, town and village will have access to DSL and other broadband services, even in the most rural areas.

If you reside in the service territory of Verizon, Embarq (formerly Sprint), or Windstream (formerly Alltel), and advanced services are not currently available, the Bona Fide Retail Request Program (BFRR) allows you to submit a written request for services.

Generally speaking, the BFRR program says that if:

• 50 retail customers or 25% of retail access lines in a “community” (as defined in Act 183), whichever is less, request the same or comparable service; and
• Commit to at least one year of service from the participating provider then service must be provided within 365 days.

The pdf to the right explains how to get started on the BFRRP application.

I’M A TOURISM BUSINESS IN THE PA WILDS AND WOULD LIKE TO USE THE PA WILDS LOGO ON MY BROCHURES. IS THAT OK?

The Pennsylvania Wilds logo is a licensed trademark so you must get permission from the Department of Community and Economic Development in order to use it on brochures, signs or merchandise. Applications are processed quickly – often in a day or two when the request is simple – but could take longer. Some uses may involve a fee. For more details and applications, click here.

PEOPLE IN MY TOWN SEEM SKEPTICAL OF TOURISM. WHAT CAN I DO?

There’s no one answer to this question. Here’s some advice from people around the region:

1. Succeed. Nothing convinces people something new can work like actually seeing it work. Focus on projects that are do-able, however small, and run with them. More people will get on board in time. Success breeds success.

2. Listen: People who are skeptical of tourism often have valid concerns. Will out-of-towners take over their favorite fishing hole? Will too many visitors cause congestion or hazards on local roads? These are not insurmountable problems and it’s important to address them if you want to build community support. 

3. Inform. People are busy. Many aren’t familiar with all the tourism efforts going on in the region. Help change that. Point them to the PA Wilds Resource Center so they can learn what investments are being made. Show them ads that have run in major magazines promoting the PA Wilds. Schedule a PA Wilds presentation for your community.

4. Clarify: Tourism is not an either-or scenario – it’s simply part of the economic pie. Manufacturing, resource extraction and tourism can co-exist. They can even compliment each other (the manufacturing company Zippo is a tourism draw for McKean County, for example). Tourists like to see how things are made or learn how an industry helped build a town. One of the region’s main draws is its rich oil and lumber history. Why not partner with present-day firms to help tell the story of your town? 

5. Leave egos at the door: The places where the most stuff is getting done in the PA Wilds is where people are leaving old grudges behind and working in a collaborative and creative way. This is especially important today as budgets and funding sources are shrinking.

I’M A SMALL TOURISM BUSINESS AND I NEED FINANCIAL HELP. I HEARD THERE WERE PA WILDS TOURISM GRANTS AVAILABLE. IS THAT TRUE?

In 2005, the state launched the First Industries Fund, a $150 million grant and loan program designed to strengthen Pennsylvania’s two largest industries: tourism and agriculture.

The tourism-related grants available through First Industries were a one-time thing. Once gone, they were gone forever. The grants were available statewide and could only be used for planning (to fund predevelopment and feasibility studies). Several grants were awarded in the PA Wilds region – mostly to community, economic development or tourism organizations, but a few also went to businesses.

These planning grants are most likely what people are referring to when they talk about “PA Wilds grants” for small businesses. They are no longer available. First Industries loans are still available (for details see the Programs Database).

In general, grants are very rare for small, for-profit businesses. The ones that we know exist in the region are listed in our Programs Database.