New York State regional planning board syncs up with local providers to deploy fiber broadband

Southern Tier 8 Regional Board, a multifaceted planning and development agency in New York state, sees broadband as an opportunity to improve the economic situation of the rural communities it serves. Jennifer Gregory, executive director of Southern Tier 8, recently announced Project Connect, an initiative to connect the agency’s entire eight-county region to high-speed broadband. To make Project Connect a reality, the Southern Tier 8 Regional Board applied for a $22 million federal National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) grant to connect 895 addresses among New York state’s hardest-to-connect residences to fiber-based broadband. The NTIA grant will introduce 895 addresses in the 10 towns to fiber-based broadband. As Southern Tier 8 moves its broadband plans forward, it’s focused on several initiatives to understand the trouble points in the region. It’s providing public education and outreach, advocating for policy changes within the state to increase buildouts without implementing taxes on existing ISPs, and positioning the counties to apply for funding and be prepared with American Rescue Act (ARPA) dollars.