Noah Eckstein
By Kate Lisa
ALBANY — The state’s head of economic development assured lawmakers Wednesday the anticipated $1.6 billion investment in the governor’s budget to expand access to high-speed internet will be different from past broadband initiatives, exempting controversial fees to bridge the digital divide in rural and poor communities.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $1.6 billion ConnectAll Initiative — one of 232 proposals in her $216 billion executive budget — will invest $1 billion in new digital infrastructure, capital investments, regulatory reforms and digital access programs to give New Yorkers more high-speed internet coverage in rural areas and more affordable competition in urban neighborhoods.
The state Public Service Commission is expected to release a Broadband Assessment Program survey in May providing granular statewide data to high-speed internet access for the first time.
Livingston County News – The Daily News