Once completed, these actions will ensure 97 percent of New Yorkers have the broadband access required to succeed in a 21 century economy, with the goal of serving all New Yorkers by the end of 2018. “We have already begun delivering on these plans and look forward to bringing product and service enhancements at a greater value to our customers in NY”. Consistent with the Program’s vision, more than 80 percent of Round I funding was awarded to projects addressing unserved areas through each Upstate REDC region.
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EJ McMahon of the watchdog group Empire Center for Public Policy says, “It’s time to confront a very basic question about the state’s increasingly costly approach to economic development – what are we getting for all this money”.
He also spoke about the 7.9 million private sector jobs in the state, “more than ever”, and the drop in unemployment by half since the end of the “Great Recession”, citing that as evidence of economic progress in the state and of his new emphasis on evening the playing field between upstate and downstate.
Charter Executive Vice President of Government Affairs Catherine Bohigian said, “We are excited to be working with Governor Cuomo and his Administration”. The program is accepting requests for proposals for the second round.
The Program is created to ensure that New York’s most remote communities receive the high-speed internet they need and deserve.
Gov. Cuomo talked about the disadvantage a lack of broadband has on an area, saying that it can affect the regional economy and education. “It raised taxes too high year after year after year after year and we chased businesses away and we chased young people away”.
“In essence, it aggravated the problem. The places that were not doing well did not get the broadband, which means the places that were not doing well fell further behind and the places that were already doing well had an additional advantage”, Gov. Cuomo said.
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Speaking of rural communities without broadband, he said “So we put a 30-pound pack on their backs and said ‘run the race'”. “And so, one of the things that we’ll have is that everybody will have access to 14.99 prices for internet and high speeds and we’ll also not have credit checks for people who are eligible”.
