Just three years ago, 30 percent of New Yorkers lacked access to broadband–meaning they lacked access to a role in the 21st-century economy. The New NY Broadband Program was launched in 2015 to close that access gap, which was most acute in eight upstate REDC regions, and last month awarded the last mile funding to do so.
The $209.7 million Round III awards, announced Jan. 31, will drive in aggregate more than $341.8 million of public-private broadband investment, providing the last-mile funding to bring high-speed internet access to all New Yorkers.
The 43 projects awarded in Round III will expand opportunity to more than 122,000 homes and locations across New York, deploying some 7,544 miles of broadband infrastructure across eight regions.
At its launch, the New NY Broadband program set a goal of statewide access to broadband at speeds of at least 100 Mbps (with 25 Mbps acceptable in the most rural and remote areas of the state). That access has been pivotal, changing the way people do business, offering online education to students in rural areas and making all New Yorkers more competitive in a global economy.
In this final round, some projects will leverage up to $170 million in additional support from the Connect America Fund, federal funds that the FCC recommitted to New York State—rather than being diverted elsewhere—thanks to efforts by the Governor, ESD and New York’s Congressional representatives.
For more information about the New NY Broadband Program, click here.