ALBANY — New York is set to receive more than $664 million to improve broadband services through the federal bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Act that was passed two years ago, an allocation on top of the $100 million from the American Rescue Plan that was announced in March by the White House.
A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer’s office said it will be the largest investment on record in helping alleviate the broadband shortfalls across New York, especially in rural areas. The funding is part of $42 billion in allocations to states, tribal nations and territories.
Although the plan was approved in 2021, Schumer’s office, which announced the specific allocation on Monday with U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, said that they have fought to have the Federal Communications Commission update maps denoting unserved locations that were released after the legislation passed Congress.
In October, New York officials, armed with their own broadband map, challenged the FCC’s assertion that New York had just 106,290 unserved locations — an effort that resulted in the addition of 31,000 more addresses that lacked broadband.
Last month, the FCC released updated data that listed more than 140,000 unserved locations — primarily single residences — in New York, as well as nearly 38,000 locations where internet speeds are so poor they qualify as not having service.
“Whether it is for work, school, or getting the health care you need, access to the internet is not luxury, but a necessity for modern life,” Schumer said in a statement, in which he credited Gov. Kathy Hochul for her adminstration’s efforts on the initiative. “Long before the pandemic, communities across New York, from rural communities upstate to bustling city neighborhoods, have struggled to obtain reliable high-speed internet service.”
The state will now submit a grant distribution proposal to the National Telecommunication and…
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