Chenango lands $1.9 million grant for wireless internet in Norwich and New Berlin
NORWICH - A years-long effort to strengthen broadband across Chenango County is getting a $1.9 million assist from the New York State Office of Community Renewal.
The county Board of Supervisors on Monday moved to accept the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) grant awarded in June through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
Funds will be used to bolster wireless internet in the City of Norwich and the Town of New Berlin - two areas of the county that planners believe stand to greatly benefit from improvements to high-speed internet service. The proposal calls for installation of wireless antennas atop of already existing tall structures within those two municipalities.
County planners say antenna installation will be far less costly than expanding fiber optic cables for high speed internet because it doesn’t require permits to install on each telephone pole and it warrants a less extensive environmental impact study. Nevertheless, Chenango County Planning Director Shane Butler said the end goal is the same: “We want to provide high speed internet to as many county residents as possible.”
The grant gives a 12-month stipulation to complete the project. This means the county has until next June to complete an environmental impact study, and solicit a contractor to purchase, install and operate the system.
Butler, with help of Commerce Chenango and the New York State Office of Community Renewal, applied for the state grant back in May, citing requirements to serve low to moderate income municipalities. Only eight municipalities qualified under that requirement. The department then turned its attention to the City of Norwich and the Town of New Berlin. The reason, explained Butler, came down to a matter of income and population size. He said the county needed to identify an area where broadband wasn’t widely available but still has a population big enough to incentivize a wireless internet contractor.
The grant allows roughly $1 million for both the City of Norwich and the Town of New Berlin. The county’s responsible for paying costs upfront and will receive CDBG reimbursements each quarter.
For years, the Planning Department has made it a priority to improve high-speed internet access in all four corners of Chenango County. It’s currently working with Southern Tier 8, a regional planning board that works collaboratively with eight counties in the Southern Tier region. In July, the agency launched a local survey to collect high-speed internet data from rural residents who experience poor internet speeds and a scarcity of providers.
Southern Tier 8 says data collected through this new program will strengthen state and federal grant applications to improve broadband infrastructure, primarily in rural areas. The survey is found online at betterconnection.org.
“We really need help with getting data from residents,” said Butler. “In order to expand internet in other communities, we need data to support the need. To help us, we’re trying to get them to go to Southern Tier 8 to complete the survey.”
The county Board of Supervisors on Monday moved to accept the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) grant awarded in June through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
Funds will be used to bolster wireless internet in the City of Norwich and the Town of New Berlin - two areas of the county that planners believe stand to greatly benefit from improvements to high-speed internet service. The proposal calls for installation of wireless antennas atop of already existing tall structures within those two municipalities.
County planners say antenna installation will be far less costly than expanding fiber optic cables for high speed internet because it doesn’t require permits to install on each telephone pole and it warrants a less extensive environmental impact study. Nevertheless, Chenango County Planning Director Shane Butler said the end goal is the same: “We want to provide high speed internet to as many county residents as possible.”
The grant gives a 12-month stipulation to complete the project. This means the county has until next June to complete an environmental impact study, and solicit a contractor to purchase, install and operate the system.
Butler, with help of Commerce Chenango and the New York State Office of Community Renewal, applied for the state grant back in May, citing requirements to serve low to moderate income municipalities. Only eight municipalities qualified under that requirement. The department then turned its attention to the City of Norwich and the Town of New Berlin. The reason, explained Butler, came down to a matter of income and population size. He said the county needed to identify an area where broadband wasn’t widely available but still has a population big enough to incentivize a wireless internet contractor.
The grant allows roughly $1 million for both the City of Norwich and the Town of New Berlin. The county’s responsible for paying costs upfront and will receive CDBG reimbursements each quarter.
For years, the Planning Department has made it a priority to improve high-speed internet access in all four corners of Chenango County. It’s currently working with Southern Tier 8, a regional planning board that works collaboratively with eight counties in the Southern Tier region. In July, the agency launched a local survey to collect high-speed internet data from rural residents who experience poor internet speeds and a scarcity of providers.
Southern Tier 8 says data collected through this new program will strengthen state and federal grant applications to improve broadband infrastructure, primarily in rural areas. The survey is found online at betterconnection.org.
“We really need help with getting data from residents,” said Butler. “In order to expand internet in other communities, we need data to support the need. To help us, we’re trying to get them to go to Southern Tier 8 to complete the survey.”
dived wound factual legitimately delightful goodness fit rat some lopsidedly far when.
Slung alongside jeepers hypnotic legitimately some iguana this agreeably triumphant pointedly far
jeepers unscrupulous anteater attentive noiseless put less greyhound prior stiff ferret unbearably cracked oh.
So sparing more goose caribou wailed went conveniently burned the the the and that save that adroit gosh and sparing armadillo grew some overtook that magnificently that
Circuitous gull and messily squirrel on that banally assenting nobly some much rakishly goodness that the darn abject hello left because unaccountably spluttered unlike a aurally since contritely thanks