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Commentary: With ride-sharing's value clear, Pa. needs to show its support

By Dustin Brighton Nearly one million Pennsylvanians did something in the past three months that could soon be outlawed across the state: They took a ride in an Uber or Lyft. Thousands more likely joined the ranks of Uber and Lyft drivers to earn extra income, which may soon be stripped away by policymakers in Harrisburg.

By Dustin Brighton

Nearly one million Pennsylvanians did something in the past three months that could soon be outlawed across the state: They took a ride in an Uber or Lyft. Thousands more likely joined the ranks of Uber and Lyft drivers to earn extra income, which may soon be stripped away by policymakers in Harrisburg.

The irony: Pennsylvania is pioneering the future of transportation technologies in self-driving cars, yet, without legislative action soon, the state may lose the ability to use internet-enabled ride-sharing services that have become ubiquitous across the rest of the country.

Currently, transportation network companies (TNCs), otherwise known as ride-sharing platforms, operate under an experimental two-year license granted in 2014. Reauthorization should be routine - 48 out of 50 state senators already approved a reauthorization bill - but the state House has yet to take similar action. Unless the state passes comprehensive authorization of all TNCs before Oct. 21, it's possible that ride-sharing platforms could disappear across the state, along with the many benefits for drivers and riders they provide.

Ride-sharing is generating much-needed income for residents across the economic spectrum. With wages in traditional sectors stagnating, the flexibility that comes with being a ride-share driver allows Pennsylvanians to earn extra money on their own terms, working whenever they want, for as long as they want, as often as they want. From students paying off their loans to families trying to make ends meet, hundreds of thousands of people across the country have been able to achieve their financial goals by supplementing their income through ride-sharing platforms.

Ride-sharing platforms don't just provide extra income for drivers, they also generate significant economic activity throughout local communities. More people than ever can now more easily and affordably commute to new jobs and shop at small businesses, boosting local commerce.

Even for those not directly using ride-sharing, these platforms are investing in Pennsylvania's growing tech sector, which saw an estimated $2.5 billion in investment in 2014. Recent investment by these platforms is driving expansion at Pennsylvania's technology hubs, like Carnegie Mellon. For example, Uber is investing millions of dollars to establish its Advanced Technology Center for research into self-driving vehicles.

The value of ride-sharing was especially apparent in July, when Philadelphia hosted the Democratic National Convention. With national media attention and crowds to match, ride-sharing's dynamic ability to meet high transportation demand demonstrated its importance in elevating Pennsylvania to the global stage, and helping local businesses and entrepreneurs capitalize on that exposure.

As a state that has been at the forefront of innovation for centuries - from oil wells, to steel works, to autonomous cars - Pennsylvania knows full well the immense economic value generated by building new industries and advancing new technologies here at home.

Support for ride-sharing is an excellent barometer for gauging a state's openness to leveraging internet-driven opportunity and innovation. Reauthorizing TNCs and ensuring the continued existence of ride-sharing platforms across the state is a critical step to reassuring the technology community of Pennsylvania's commitment to supporting its growing tech community.

Dustin Brighton is vice president of state government affairs at the Internet Association, which represents America's leading internet companies. brighton@internetassociation.org