Month: July 2022

The state Public Service Commission released a first-of-its-kind, interactive broadband map to provide the most detailed depiction of broadband infrastructure in New York to date. 

The map, along with an accompanying report, is the result of months of field assessments conducted by the commission in the state’s most remote areas, covering more than 80,000 miles. In order to collect accurate data, the commission collaborated with 60 internet service providers and surveyed tens of thousands of New York consumers.

“High-speed internet is more essential than ever to access the basic services and information that we use in our daily lives,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “With this mapping in hand, we can see where to direct state and federal broadband funding to connect unserved and underserved areas. This address-specific tool is one we can wield to provide a more accurate depiction of connectivity needs in areas that have been disconnected for far too long.”

Prior to the map’s creation, New York, like most states, relied in part on federal data that only required broadband providers to deliver service to one address in a census block to designate the entire area as served. Officials said by collecting address-level data, New York is now able to depict what locations are served, underserved, and unserved in a more granular way, which will aid in allocating state and federal funding.

To support local efforts to expand affordable and reliable broadband, ConnectALL, housed within Empire State Development, will establish and administer grant programs at the state and federal level to provide funding to plan, engineer, and construct accessible broadband infrastructure. ESD will be the statewide lead for connectivity and coordinating with other state agencies, municipalities and a diverse array of stakeholders in every corner of New York. 

Officials said these efforts will ensure that funding is directed where it is most needed and that every community has the support and resources it needs to connect.