Syracuse lawmakers approve free broadband for 10 city Census tracts

Some of Syracuse’s poorest neighborhoods will soon have free broadband service. City lawmakers approved a $3.5 million plan to build a new city-owned wireless network. Syracuse will use federal stimulus money to provide service in 10 Census tracts on its south, southwest, and near west sides. Income-qualified residents in those areas should have access to 100-megabit broadband service by the end of summer, said Jennifer Tifft, director of strategic initiatives. The city hired Community Broadband Networks FLX to build and operate the network. The Geneva-based company provides Internet service in the Finger Lakes region and beyond. The network will use fixed wireless technology. Each customer will receive a router or other equipment to receive the signal from the city’s transmitters, which will be located mainly atop city buildings or on utility poles, Tifft said. To qualify for free service, a household can earn up to 200% of the federal poverty level. That’s about $29,000 for a single person, $39,000 for a couple, or $60,000 for a family of four.