GOVERNOR’S OFFICE: $542 million to bring affordable, high-speed internet service to largely rural and underserved districts

ALBANY, NY- Authorities are announcing that ConnectAll has begun the implementation process involving a $542 million effort to establish affordable and high-speed internet service to rural and underserved areas.

This joint announcement stems from the office of New York Governor Kathy Hochul and U.S. Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

According to Hochul’s office, this initiative targets the final one percent of documented locations that remain un-served or underserved statewide and is the result of a multi-year process to bring high speed internet to nearly 60,000 homes and businesses.

“Closing the digital divide means ensuring that reliable, high-speed access reaches every household in the state — and that it remains affordable when it gets there," said Governor Hochul.

"New York is showing the rest of the nation that both are possible through its landmark Affordable Broadband Act and commitment to reaching the final 1% of unserved or underserved households.”

“Bringing reliable, fast internet access to nearly 60,000 homes and businesses is a massive step forward in closing the digital divide in the Empire State," said U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer.

"I was proud to deliver more than $660 million in federal funding from my Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law, with nearly $300 million flowing today to make long-term infrastructure investments, all while creating good-paying jobs. I will continue fighting to ensure people in every corner of the state have the resources they need, no matter their zip code.”

“Access to affordable, high-quality internet is no longer a luxury — it is a necessity for everyday life," said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

"New Yorkers rely daily on broadband to connect them with work opportunities, health care, education and much more. I am proud to have worked to deliver this historic investment and I will continue to fight so every New Yorker has access to reliable, high-speed internet, regardless of where they live.”

Awardees are:

$23,728,734 to Archtop Fiber, LLC with a $30,057,586 match and $1,000,000 state match to serve 1,638 locations in four counties (Columbia, Dutchess, Orange and Sullivan) with fiber optic technology.

$121,177,268 to CBN America, LLC with a $40,392,423 match to serve 3,087 locations in seven counties (Chenango, Delaware, Madison, Oswego, Otsego, Schuyler, and Yates) and Shinnecock Reservation with fiber optic technology, as well as 18,098 locations in 29 counties (Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Delaware, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Monroe, Nassau, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Saratoga, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Suffolk, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne and Yates) and Onondaga Reservation with fixed wireless technology.

$13,273,290 to Citizens Telecommunications Company of New York, Inc. with a $6,303,834 match to serve 1,014 locations in Chenango County with fiber optic technology.

$5,454,547 to Fidium Enterprise Services, Inc. with a $3,594,633 match to serve 1,083 locations in three counties (Chautauqua, Columbia and Rensselaer) with fiber optic technology.

$12,709,615 to IBT Group USA, LLC with a $4,236,538 match to serve 5,478 locations in nine counties (Chenango, Delaware, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego, and Schoharie) and the Oneida Indian Reservation with fixed wireless technology.

$11,437,665 to Reasnor Telephone Company, LLC with a $3,812,555 match to serve 795 locations in Dutchess County with fiber optic technology.

$22,300,500 to Space Exploration Technologies Corp. with a $20,426,074 match to serve 14,877 locations in 37 counties (Albany, Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Dutchess, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Montgomery, Oneida, Orange, Oswego, Otsego, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, St. Lawrence, Suffolk, Sullivan, Tioga, Warren, Washington, Westchester, and Wyoming) and two Tribal Reservations (Allegany Reservation and Oneida Indian Reservation) with low Earth orbit satellite technology.

$21,038,640 to Spectrum Northeast, LLC with a $4,123,251 match and a $6,000,000 state match to serve 2,919 locations in Chautauqua County and Tuscarora Nation with fiber optic technology.

$56,120,006 to Verizon New York, Inc. with a $135,241,523 match to serve 4,016 locations in 13 counties (Albany, Clinton, Erie, Essex, Fulton, Montgomery, Oneida, Oswego, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Sullivan, Ulster, and Washington) and the Tonawanda Reservation with fiber optic technology.

The $542 million investment includes $287 million in federal funding, $7 million in state funding, and $248 million in private sector funding from nine participating internet service providers.

The federal funding for these awards comes from $664.6 million that Congress allocated to New York State in 2023 as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (BEAD).

Next steps include submitting provisional awards for state and federal environmental review.

New York Capitol image.