Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - More progress outlined Friday in attempts to expand broadband internet access across Erie County.
Rep. Brian Higgins and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced plans to expand broadband with help from federal resources included in the American Rescue Plan.
"The pandemic shed a bright light on broadband gaps and the disparities it creates in access to education, work, telehealth and customers," said Congressman Higgins.
The American Rescue Plan, signed into law on March 11, 2021, included direct aid to states and localities. Under the bill, Erie and Niagara Counties and their municipalities will receive nearly $775 million in relief. Erie County will receive $178.18 million directly and Erie County and its municipalities will receive over $657.7 million combined.
The law allows municipalities to use the funding to respond to the pandemic, deliver services to the community or to make necessary investments in water, sewer or broadband.
Poloncarz has been orchestrating a plan to bring high-speed internet to every municipality in Erie County. The program, ErieNet, would achieve this through the instillation of approximately 360 miles of fiber lines. The County had planned to borrow to pay for the program.
A federal commitment to invest in broadband infrastructure will save Erie County residents the cost of this capital expense and provide the opportunity to improve internet access and affordability across the county.
"High-quality broadband is modern infrastructure, an essential component of communications for healthcare, business, education, government, and more," Poloncarz stated during a news briefing with Higgins inside the Broadway Market. "Disparities in broadband coverage and quality have left parts of our county out of the loop, left behind because their service is inadequate or nonexistent."
Erie County has issued a Request for Proposals for the design of ErieNet. The program would establish, through the installation of fiber optic cable, an Open Access Network connecting schools, libraries, healthcare, business, government service providers, and businesses.
The network would also serve as a backbone from which internet service providers could connect to expand the reach of high-quality internet access.
The contract for the work is expected to be awarded in the next few weeks allowing the project to proceed.
