(Photo Source: Unsplash).
Regional Planning and Development Board officials and telecommunications experts presented several options for Cortland County to advance its objective to expand access to reliable internet services at a recent meeting, based on a 800-page report that itemizes the county’s current infrastructure and highlights deficiencies in coverage.
The report includes input from county residents who filled out the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (RPDB) survey last summer. It details the status of their internet connection, as well as highlighting any gaps in coverage. The study was conducted by the RPDB and Rochester-based telecommunications company ECC Technologies, which encompasses Cortland County and five other counties. ECC Technologies previously helmed a project to take inventory of the central New York’s broadband infrastructure, which is also reflected in RPDB’s report.
At a recent County Agriculture, Planning and Environmental Committee meeting, ECC Technologies Director of Broadband Services Andy Lukasiewicz told legislators the county registered at least 1,509 addresses that do not have access to effective broadband services. The federal government’s current definition for broadband internet refers to connections with a minimum of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. According to Lukasiewicz, there are 265.3 miles of roads with no access to broadband services.
“(The COVID-19 pandemic) brought to light the importance of the ability of people to go to work from home, the ability for education and remote learning to take place, and the ability to seek remote health care,” Lukasiewicz noted. “The communities that suffered the most were the ones in the rural areas. They didn’t have access to speeds that support those applications.”
He added the price tag to cover those gaps would total $15 million, which could be largely covered with federal funds earmarked for broadband internet in the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden last year. The spending package allocated $42 billion to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a division of the Commerce Department responsible for making grants to states. Lukasiewicz and RPDB Executive Director David Bottar noted there are also additional funding sources at the state level that could reduce the total cost.
“The critical thing is that we now know where most of the gaps of service are in Cortland County,” Bottar said. “What we are faced with now is that counties need to get organized and begin to start to make decisions about how they would like to proceed to address broadband issues so that they are well positioned to take advantage of the federal and state funds.”
Although the county has some options on how to proceed, ECC Technologies experts recommended legislators approach the gaps in coverage by securing a fiber optic network that encompasses those areas.
“When we talk about the solutions, the county has to think about what their role is going to be. We know the answer is going to be fiber,” said ECC Technologies founder Joe Starks. He noted that the county had significant questions to consider before making a decision. “If you are going to invest these dollars, how do we make sure we make the best use of them? Does the county have an internal need for the fiber? Is the county willing to commit the needed funds, if so how?”
Part of the decision-making process for legislators will now include deciding whether they will commission a company who services the area to build the fiber optic network, or whether the county will build its own fiber optic infrastructure. In the case of the former, the company commissioned by the county could pitch in to build the network, thus reducing the overall cost for the county and sharing the revenue. The county could also be the sole owner of the network and function as an internet service provider (ISP). Starks advised legislators against the county becoming an ISP.
“Very few counties want to get into the broadband provider business,” he said. Starks called the move “not a money-maker.” “Most counties shy away from the issues that come with being a provider, but if no one is able to provide this service, that would require the county to step up.”
If the county were to become an ISP, they could outsource technical support. Ultimately, Starks said, the buck stops with county officials.
“You take responsibility for the service and your partners,” he said.
Starks said the county could benefit from having a proprietary fiber optic network, improving public safety, and other government functions such as tax maps. It would also open the door for smart city plans to develop, Starks added.
Yearly maintenance of the network could cost the county 10 percent of the total $15 million, Starks said. He added that it could be reduced to 7-8 percent.
“It can be maintained and outsourced to qualified providers, but the reality is that it is an expensive infrastructure to maintain,” he said.
Democratic Minority Leader Beau Harbin (D-LD2) said the county will have a working group get together to discuss the next steps. The working group will include legislators Douglas Bentley (D-LD1), Susan Wilson (D-LD5), Paul Heider (R-LD16), and Cortland County Business Development Corporation Executive Director Garry VanGorder.
“There is a financial commitment coming from Cortland County, should we understand our commitment might be to take it a step forward,” Heider said. “Do we have money to spend on this, what is that amount?”
Bottar said the county currently has an advantage.
“The money issue is obviously paramount, but where you are right now, you now have the information from the report that would put the county in a very competitive position to get some of the federal money,” he said. “You got a leg up, and the sooner you can reach some decision on how you want to proceed, the stronger my office and ECC (Technology) can advocate on your behalf. The counties that are better prepared will have a better chance to get some of this federal money coming down.”
