Governor Kathy Hochul, Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand recently announced over $140 million in awards from the ConnectALL Municipal Infrastructure Grant Program to expand broadband infrastructure throughout Central New York, the Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, North Country, Mid-Hudson and Western New York regions. These public-private partnerships will lead to the construction of more than 1,200 miles of publicly-owned fiber optic infrastructure and wireless hubs, connecting over 60,000 homes and businesses with affordable, symmetric service – offering equal download and upload speeds at rates below regional averages. These six new grants build on previous awards, bringing the program’s total to $214.7 million, funded primarily by the Treasury Department’s Capital Projects Fund. Altogether, the program now supports over 2,000 miles of broadband infrastructure, reaching more than 87,000 homes and businesses statewide.
“Today marks a transformative step forward in our mission to connect every New Yorker to affordable, high-speed internet,” Governor Hochul said. “By investing over $140 million in public broadband infrastructure across six regions, we’re not just laying fiber optic cables – we’re building bridges to education, health care, economic opportunity and prosperity. With our new interactive dashboard, New Yorkers can now track our progress as we work to ensure that no community is left behind in our digital future.”
Orleans County will utilize $11 million in MIP funds to extend its wireless internet network to serve more than 11,000 locations with 100/100 Mbps speed. This project will build on a successful wireless internet project the county launched in 2020 with RTO Wireless, by installing 21 wireless hubs on existing and new towers. The County will own the network, which RTO Wireless will design, construct, maintain and operate. The towers will be open for lease to other ISPs. The county will also extend its partnership with the United Way to provide digital literacy training and community outreach, addressing the adoption barrier among low-income households. The project addresses the challenge of providing high-speed internet in rural areas with a low population density of 103 people per square mile. The county’s cutting-edge wireless solution, combined with strong community partnerships, provides a cost-effective alternative to fiber networks, promoting digital equity and enhancing connectivity for residents, businesses, education and the agricultural community.
“Orleans County has made a priority of bringing broadband service to all corners of our community and today’s announcement will help us continue to expand and grow our network,” said Lynne Johnson, Chairman of the Orleans County Legislature. “We appreciate the governor’s recognition that rural communities must have access to high speed internet and is committing funds to continue that effort.”
To support transparency and public engagement, ConnectALL has also launched a beta version of its interactive project dashboard, enabling users to view locations and key details for each broadband project. The dashboard, available at https://tinyurl.com/yzc45mju, will continue to expand with new features and information on additional grant awards across all ConnectALL programs.
Funding for ConnectALL’s Municipal Infrastructure Program has been awarded through the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund. Broadband infrastructure in the Municipal Infrastructure Program will be owned by a public entity or publicly controlled. Internet Service Providers will use the new broadband infrastructure to provide New Yorkers with affordable, high quality service options.
The Municipal Infrastructure Program is informed by ConnectALL’s successful pilot projects, which showcased the transformative potential of publicly-owned, open access fiber optic networks. These networks, designed for use by multiple service providers, bring much-needed consumer choice to underserved areas. By treating broadband as a basic utility, public ownership ensures universal access for all households in participating communities. The initial $10 million investment from ConnectALL funded pilot projects in four upstate New York communities: the Village of Sherburne (Chenango County), the Town of Nichols (Tioga County), the Town of Diana (Lewis County) and the Town of Pitcairn (St. Lawrence County). Upon completion, these projects successfully connected over 3,000 households to high-speed internet, offering services at rates below the regional average.
Provided information
