The area will be getting additional high-speed Internet access, thanks to a recently announced federal grant.
Ten new segments of fiber-optic, broadband infrastructure are being built as part of the ION Upstate New York Rural Broadband Initiative, according to a media release from Rep. Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls.
The work will be funded by a $39.7 million Department of Commerce grant, with an additional $9.9 million in matching funds.
The project will enable service providers to improve broadband-access to 250,000 households and 38,000 businesses, spurring much-needed investments and job creation, Murphy said in the release.
ION Chief Executive Officer Jim Becker said Friday that the new segments are being added to the line run through Middleburgh and Cobleskill, on to Cooperstown through Oneonta, continuing to Morrisville and beyond. The initiative does not bring the Internet access to homes and business but works with "last-mile" providers to provide service, he said.
"Last-mile" service refers to the connection between individual customers and a larger network.
The work should be completed in about 26 months, Becker said.
ION plans to extend its relationship to Bassett Healthcare, to expand telemedicine practices, as well as partner with others, including libraries and state and county agencies throughout the region, according to the release. The initiative would use a line that runs out of Albany, where ION is based, and passes through Margaretville, Delhi, Hancock and Deposit.
"This is absolutely wonderful news," Bassett Healthcare chief information officer Joe Diver said Friday. "With additional access to the technology, it will provide a foundation that allows for better communication between patients and health care providers."
On Friday, Otsego County economic developer Carolyn Lewis said she was still waiting to hear about the county's grant application for broadband funding. But with additional broadband infrastructure in the county, "we will definitely reap some of the benefits" from this project, she said.
