New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the New York State Public Service Commission has released a new first-of-its-kind interactive map aimed at helping to understand where broadband infrastructure is and where it must be worked on.
The creation of this map comes after covering more than 80,000 miles worth of some of New York’s most remote areas as well as working with many internet provider companies to collect data on broadband in the state.
“High-speed internet is more essential than ever to access the basic services and information that we use in our daily lives,” Gov. 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.”
The interactive map will allow both private citizens and lawmakers to get better analyses and data on which areas of the state are underserved or have no broadband technology at all. The map will also allow users to provide feedback on the map to report inaccuracies or give general feedback on how the commission can improve the map.
The commission found that 97.4 percent of New York State address locations are served by high-speed broadband service providers. However, the map reveals that high-speed broadband services remain unavailable to many New Yorkers in predominately rural areas, such as Hamilton County and Lewis County, which are 70.2 percent and 73 percent served.
ConnectALL, housed within Empire State Development (ESD), will establish grant programs aimed at providing funding for planning, engineering, and constructing accessible broadband infrastructure. ESD will be the statewide lead for connectivity and will help ensure that rural communities have broadband internet.
