Shelter-in-Place Orders Underscore Rural Internet Limitations

Coverage Type: 

New York State's Public Service Commission required Spectrum Internet, formed by the Time Warner Cable-Charter Communications merger, to significantly boost internet speeds upstate and expand broadband service to 145,000 residential units that currently don't have it. Lara Pritchard, a Charter spokesperson, claimed the company has completed the extension of its network to 100,421 new homes and businesses as of Jan. 31, 2020, which she claims is 13,000 ahead of the PSC schedule. Charter plans to meet the state requirement of 145,000 by Sept. 30, 2021, she said. 

Niagara County Legislator David Godfrey and Orleans County Legislature Chair Lynne Johnson, who helped start the Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance, are spearheading an effort to get both counties to 100% internet connectivity. NORA will be submitting an application to the US Department of Agriculture for funding through the ReConnect Loan and Grant program to accomplish broadband expansion in both counties. The application isn't finished yet, so the details have not been finalized.  


Shelter-in-Place Orders Underscore Rural Internet Limitations