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New York state officials including Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Gov. Kathy Hochul as well as Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh on Wednesday announced new broadband initiatives statewide and in the city of Syracuse, including up to $100 million in federal funding to increase internet access across New York state.

Both the state and Syracuse’s initiatives will be funded through the American Rescue Plan, and aim to bridge the digital divide by establishing affordable and accessible broadband to serve households with no access or difficulty accessing the internet.

Walsh in a Wednesday press release announced the city of Syracuse would use ARP funds to move forward its new initiative, the Community Broadband Program, through which it plans to serve at least 2,500 households and improve city digital services.

The $100 million of federal funding for broadband infrastructure across New York state – which is projected to serve around 100,000 households – will target mainly rural and Indigenous as well as low and middle-income communities, according to Schumer’s release. Funding stems from the ASP’s Capital Projects Fund, which allocated $10 billion nationwide to address challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, including internet access.

“Long before the pandemic, communities across Upstate New York, from rural communities to bustling city neighborhoods, have struggled to obtain affordable, high-speed internet service,” Schumer said in the release. “These federal dollars will go directly towards closing the digital divide, which means connecting communities to good-paying jobs, better healthcare, and higher-quality education in our schools.”

The new funding builds off prior efforts to expand broadband access for low-income households. New York state enrolled approximately one million qualified households through the Affordable Connectivity Program, according to the release.

The federal program provided funding through the Federal Communications Commission based on a set of criteria, including whether a person received a federal Pell Grant, uses the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program or lives on qualified Indigenous lands.

“These funds go to help these families get the internet access they need,” Schumer said at a Wednesday morning press conference. “High speed internet is critical infrastructure, just like electricity always has been.”

On Monday, the Syracuse Common Council approved $3.5 million in ARP funding for the Community Broadband Program, which Walsh first outlined in August to target low-income households in the city of Syracuse that lack access to high-speed internet. Around 25% of households in Syracuse do not have any internet access, according to data from the 2019 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.

Walsh said in the Wednesday release that the pilot program will support families lacking adequate internet access and alleviate digital challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing the digital divide within the city of Syracuse remains part of Walsh’s Syracuse Surge Strategy, a development plan to invest $200 million in public and private funding on the southside of downtown Syracuse. The initiative, introduced in July 2019, aims to modernize Syracuse’s economy in the digital age, especially as the city lags behind in public access to technology and the Internet despite previous investments.

Syracuse identified and signed a three-year contract with Community Broad Networks to serve as the main provider. Network performance and satisfaction among customers will be measured throughout the pilot program.

Syracuse will develop a business plan by 2024 to determine whether the broadband program remains effective in providing high-speed internet to targeted households.

Published on March 29, 2023 at 11:38 pm

Contact Dominic: dcchiapp@syr.edu | @DominicChiappo2