USDA grants $21 million to connect rural New York to internet

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $21 million to provide broadband internet service in rural areas in New York without sufficient access.

This investment is part of the $550 million Congress allocated to the second round of the ReConnect Program, according to a news release.

Empire Long Distance Corp. will use an $11.3 million ReConnect grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network. This network will connect 11,341 people, 96 farms, 42 businesses and a school to high-speed broadband in Livingston County, N.Y.

Madison County will use a $10.1 million ReConnect grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network. This network will connect 2,170 people, 50 farms and 30 businesses to high-speed broadband.

“Generations ago, the federal government recognized that without affordable access to electricity, Americans couldn’t fully participate in modern society and the modern economy. Broadband internet is the new electricity. It is necessary for Americans to do their jobs, to participate equally in school learning and health care, and to stay connected,” USDA Rural Development Acting New York state director Brian Murray said in the release.

“This is why President Biden’s American Jobs Plan prioritizes building ‘future-proof’ broadband infrastructure – like the investments we’re announcing today – in areas without sufficient access to broadband, so that we finally reach 100% high-speed broadband coverage.”