Schumer: Relax Internet rules
NEW WINDSOR — Sen. Charles Schumer on Wednesday appealed to the Federal Communications Commission to loosen its grip on $485 million that could help rural areas of Sullivan and Orange counties gain broadband Internet access.
A lack of high-speed Internet service has long been seen as an issue in rural areas where infrastructure costs are high and population density low. It's seen as key to not only making the Internet more accessible to residents, but also to developing businesses that increasingly employ Web sites to showcase products and services.
The money Schumer referred to is available from the Federal Communications Commission — $185 million left over from last year, and $300 million this year — through the Connect America program.
Schumer wants to relax FCC rules that restrict the funding to companies that can provide broadband services for less than $775 per household.
In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, Schumer said he agreed with a proposed rule adjustment to permit funding for underserved locales as well as those without service.
"Reliable high-speed Internet access is essential for any business or family to succeed in a global marketplace," Schumer said, "and the Federal Communications Commission should remove unnecessary barriers to this unused funding that is collecting cobwebs."
Frontier Communications supports Schumer's efforts, Debbie Bogdanski, general manager of Frontier's New York South Region, said Wednesday as she and other interested parties gathered with Schumer at the Orange County Business Accelerator near Stewart International Airport.
The company serves areas including Barrysville, Narrowsburg, and Cochecton Center in Sullivan County. Bogdanski said Frontier brings broadband to 85 percent of its customers "with the exception of the outlying pockets."
Sullivan County Legislators Cora Edwards, Ira Steingart and Kitty Vetter spoke of the need to expand a service that urban Americans take for granted.
In fact, Steingart said, the lack of broadband was seen as the biggest issue facing business when 100 business owners gathered for a brainstorming session in 2009. Vetter said large tracts of state- and New York City-owned lands stymie development in Sullivan, contributing to the low-density population issue.
Orange County Executive Edward Diana saw opening the funding stream as a boost for everyone.
"We all believe in economic development," Diana said. "We all believe in job creation. And that is what this is all about."
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