Three companies have been awarded a total $48.7 million to bring affordable, high speed internet to areas that include Chautauqua County.
The funding is part of the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program that targets the final one percent of documented locations that remain unserved or underserved across New York State and is the result of a multi-year process.
The companies awarded funds include:
- $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.
- $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.
The effort moves forward alongside New York’s Affordable Broadband Act (ABA) that requires legal protections for low-cost internet service that guarantee affordable options for more than 3 million estimated households statewide. The ABA requires internet service providers to offer qualifying low-income households broadband service at $15 per month for 25 Mbps service or $20 for 200 Mbps service.
New Yorkers seeking to enroll in low-cost internet service can call 211 or visit the ConnectALL consumer resources page at https://broadband.ny.gov/consumer-resources.
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