Broadband hits roadblock in NY

Greene County (NY) continues to face obstacles in its fight to gain broadband and better Internet access for all residents, especially sparsely populated rural zones. Members of the Greene County Legislature heard an update on the county’s broadband project at its Economic Development and Tourism Committee meeting on Feb 16. Warren Hart, the county’s director of the Economic Development, Tourism and Planning Department, told lawmakers his presentation was based on 18 months of work. “Broadband throughout Greene County is a necessity now, not a luxury,” Hart said. “We have around 3,400 households that are unserved in the county, along with 13,800 households that are underserved.”

All of the numbers came from the state’s Broadband Program Office, Hart said. Getting county residents better broadband service has remained a top priority for the legislature and state-level officials for several years. Hart said the state’s new broadband program is accepting phase-one applications and this has presented significant challenges for rural counties. Hart said the consortium believes “The rules provide significant barriers for rural counties with small providers, and as a result, there may be limited or no submissions of applications in this first round.” In his opinion, he told county lawmakers, the guidelines listed in the state’s new program are geared more towards urbanized areas.