N.Y. Awards $140 Million for Public, Open-Access Broadband Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2024 – New York awarded $140 million for publicly owned open-access broadband infrastructure, state officials announced last week. The projects are set to serve more than 60,000 homes and businesses.

“Access to high-speed internet is not a luxury, but a necessity, a utility as vital as electricity for everyday life. Today, Upstate NY takes a major step towards closing the digital divide,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a Wednesday statement.

The funded projects include $11 million for fixed wireless to serve 11,000 locations in Orleans County, $30 million for fiber to 4,000 locations in Schoharie County, $26 million to get 6,600 locations fiber in Cayuga and Cortland counties, $13 million for fiber and fixed wireless for 1,500 locations in Franklin County, $30 million for fiber and a new tower for 22,000 homes and businesses in Sullivan County, and $30 million to serve more than 14,000 locations with fiber in the City of Jamestown.

The fiber lines and towers will be publicly owned and operated by ISPs. Other providers will be able to rent space or capacity.

New York’s Municipal Infrastructure Program is funded by the state’s $228 million Capital Projects Fund allocation from the Treasury, set up as a pandemic response. The state says it has so far doled out more than $214 million of that to connect more than 87,000 homes and businesses.

The state also released a dashboard that maps where the state is funding broadband infrastructure projects.