NORWICH – Chenango County government is footing half the cost of a feasibility study that may ultimately expand broadband internet access in even the farthest reaches of Chenango County.
With the intnent of determining costs of building broadband infrastrure in rural regions of the county, Chenango County officials committed $15,000 (or 50 percent the costs of the study) at a regular meeting of the Chenango County Board of Supervisors last week. The remaining 50 percent will be borne by the Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board.
Southern Tier East – an organization serving Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie and Tioga counties – has taken on similar efforts to expand broadband access in Tioga and Schoharie counties. And since fewer than 25 percent of Chenango presently has access to a high-speed broadband internet connection, it was made a top priority.
“Private companies will invest in more urbanized areas like cities and villages where they will see a return of investment, but they don’t see a return of investment in more rural areas where they might see only a few subscribers,” said Southern Tier East Director Erik Miller.
Miller, addressing the Board of Supervisors at their meeting last Monday, explained that while private broadband internet providers are slow to invest in broadband infrastructure in sparsely populated regions, a public-private partnership would be an economic boon especially to farms and other agricultural businesses in the area.
All this follows a recent push by federal and New York State legislators to make faster internet available in rural areas. In December, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would seek applications for the Community Connect Grant Program, an nationwide initiative to help offset costs of private companies that invest in broadband internet access in rural areas like Chenango County. The program offers grants of up to $3 million.
“The idea right now is to find the most cost effective way to bring Chenango County up to standard with New York State’s wish of having broadband in more areas,” said Miller. “The only way to expand broadband to rural areas is through a public-private partnership ... Once we have a plan to build out, then we have to revisit how to build and where to find funding.”
The average estimate to run fiber optic cable for broadband internet reaches upward of $40,000 per mile, and costs only increase if cable is run underground. Miller said there may be opportunities for state funding to leverage private investments to build infrastructure if the county has a formalized plan.
In spite of the potential for future state funding, some county officials questioned the prudence of investing any local taxpayer dollars into what they say ought to be a solely private undertaking.
“This is another study that we’re going to spend $15,000 that’s going to tell us something we already know – that this is going to be cost prohibitive to a private company to make the investment because they would never make that money back,” said Smyrna Supervisor Michael Khoury. “I think the $15,000 is not in the scope of what government should be doing. The private sector would be all over this if it makes sense.”
Still, the proposal received backing from a majority of the Board of Supervisors. A resolution authorizing the $15,000 investment was passed in a 21-1 vote.
“We need this internet much more than I think we even realize,” said Columbus Town Supervisor Tom Grace. “I think this is one of the most important resolutions I’ve seen in my three and a half years here. What I hear more from businesses when they complain about anything, it’s the speed of our internet ... This is the cheapest way we can bring economic development to Chenango County. This is a way to tie people together in a worldwide commercial network and here we have a chance to have half of our study paid for through federal funds ... We’re not going to get any more money until we have a reasonable plan, and that’s what this $15,000 is for.”