(TNS) — An Otsego County cell tower project is among several statewide that will benefit from state grants.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday, Sept. 30 that $5.2 million in new awards are available for four Connectivity Innovations projects to expand mobile service in Nassau, Otsego, Schenectady and Warren counties.
Hochul also announced more than $10 million in awards under the ConnectALL Municipal Infrastructure Program and Affordable Housing Connectivity Program. ConnectALL will also launch three new funding opportunities.
“Together with the state’s first-ever statewide mobile service coverage tests — now underway to map coverage gaps along thousands of miles of roads and corridors — these actions advance New York’s commitment to ensuring universal, reliable mobile and broadband access,” a news release from Hochul’s office stated.
“Reliable mobile service is vital to New York’s economy and critical to driving innovation, jobs and opportunity statewide,” Hochul said in a statement. “These new awards and innovative RFAs, combined with our groundbreaking wireless drive testing, will ensure every New Yorker — no matter where they live — has access to the connectivity they need to learn, work and thrive.”
Locally, the Butternuts Neutral Host Mobile Tower Pilot Project will receive $843,357. According to the release, the project “Deploys neutral-host equipment on a county owned tower to extend multi-operator service in a rural area with little to no coverage.”
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said, “Access to high-speed Internet is not a luxury, but a necessity, a utility as vital as electricity for everyday life. I’m proud to deliver millions in federal funding to help close the digital divide for hundreds of families from Allegany County to Lake George. When I led the American Rescue Plan to passage, I made sure there was funding for long-term investments like this that would create good-paying jobs helping build the 21st-century infrastructure needed to make high-speed Internet reach every corner of the state. I’m grateful for Governor Hochul’s work putting these federal dollars to work to ensure all New Yorkers have access to the Internet that they need.”
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said, “From helping students learn to connecting small businesses with the digital economy, mobile service and broadband is a fundamental necessity and a driver of growth. These new awards will help ensure every community across our state has the reliable connectivity they deserve — and in Washington, I will keep fighting to deliver the funding necessary to expand broadband to every New Yorker.”
ConnectALL expects to complete about 20,000 miles of mobile service signal testing across 17 counties by the end of 2025, the release stated. ConnectALL will continue the tests across New York state through 2026 and beyond “to inform regional connectivity plans that prioritize underserved areas, integrate emerging technologies, and identify new infrastructure opportunities.”
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