Governor Cuomo Announces $39.2 Million in New NY Broadband Program Round II Awards for the Capital Region

More Than 32,700 Homes and Business to Gain Access to High-Speed Broadband in the Capital Region through Round II
Advances Governor’s Goal of Providing Broadband Access to All New Yorkers by the End of 2018
Round II Awards and Census Block Data Available Here

New York – (RealEstateRama) — Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced $39.2 million in New NY Broadband Program Round II grants have been awarded to 11 projects in the Capital Region. These awards will provide 32,737 homes and businesses with access to high-speed broadband for the first time, and leverage $9.8 million in private matching funds – bringing the total public-private investment in the Capital Region to $49 million in Round II. Through Rounds I and II, the program has driven a total of more than $65 million in public-private investment in high-speed broadband across the region. Since the program’s launch, Governor Cuomo has secured upgrades statewide for more than 2.3 million homes, businesses and institutions.

“Broadband is today what electricity was nearly a century ago – essential to creating economic opportunity, driving innovation and an absolute necessity for our way of life,” Governor Cuomo said. “These awards will provide homes and businesses with access to the high-speed internet required to participate and succeed in the modern economy, and are a major step toward broadband for all in New York.”

In total, Round II will drive $268 million in public-private investment and will support a total of 54 projects that will reach 89,514 homes and institutions in unserved and underserved communities. Together with upstate high-speed broadband buildouts and upgrades ‎being carried out by Charter under mandates from the New York State Public Service Commission, Round II awards will ensure that 98 percent of New Yorkers will have access to the high-speed broadband required to succeed in a modern economy.

The awarded projects include 18 Capital Region libraries and 4,017 businesses and community anchor institutions (government buildings, healthcare facilities, institutions of higher education, K-12 schools, and public safety locations). The 11 awarded projects – addressing both unserved and underserved territories – span seven counties in the Capital Region. In total, nearly 2,550 miles of broadband infrastructure will be deployed in the region, delivering new economic opportunities for New Yorkers.

Towns Benefitting From Broadband Buildout as Part of Round II – Capital Region

Round II Awards in the Capital Region:

The Broadband Program Office is currently finalizing a Request for Proposals for the Program’s upcoming Round III, which will launch within 30 days. This round will seek to complete the Program’s goal of bringing high-speed internet access to New York’s remaining unserved and underserved communities. Round III will be complemented by $170 million in Connect America Funds, which was recently allocated to New York State by the Federal Communications Commission.

Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky said, “The New NY Broadband Program is successfully implementing the Governor’s vision for a fully connected Empire State. The Round II grants announced today will drive hundreds of millions of dollars in state and private investment to deploy projects that will bring broadband to businesses, schools and communities, all of which need high-speed internet to compete in global economy.”

Empire State Development Executive Vice President of Broadband and Innovation Jeffrey Nordhaus said, “We would like to thank all of those who participated in Round II of the New NY Broadband Program and congratulate today’s winners. Today’s grant awards position us to provide high-quality broadband service to New Yorkers who need it most.”

New York State residents can check their Census Block (CB) Round II availability and commitments made through Governor Cuomo’s New NY Broadband Program here. Census blocks are aggregated by county to determine where buildout will occur.

About the New NY Broadband Program
Recognizing the importance of broadband infrastructure and building on prior State investments in broadband deployment, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in 2015, with legislative support, established the $500 million New NY Broadband Program. The Program provides New York State grant funding to support projects that deliver high-speed Internet access to Unserved and Underserved areas of the State, with priority to Unserved areas, Libraries, and Educational Opportunity Centers.

An “Unserved” area is defined as an area where the fastest available advertised Internet download speed offered by a wireline-based provider is less than 25 Mbps.  An “Underserved” area is defined as an area where broadband service is only available from a wireline-based provider at advertised Internet download speeds between 25 Mbps and 99 Mbps. The Program is the largest and most ambitious state investment in broadband in the nation, with a goal of achieving statewide broadband access in New York by the end of 2018.

Contact us by phone:
Albany: (518) 474 – 8418
New York City: (212) 681 – 4640
Contact us by email:
Press.Office (at) exec.ny (dot) gov