Announced Tuesday night by Niagara County Legislator David Godfrey, R-Wilson, the Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance (NORA) is one step closer to bringing the Internet to every household across the two counties.
The two counties have entered into a memorandum of understating with Seneca Telecommunications LLC and Resolute Partners LLC for the NORA rural broadband initiative.
Godfrey said this was one of the first issues taken on by NORA when it formed four years ago, to provide high-speed rural broadband to "every single person, every address point across our two counties."
The two counties will now work to help secure funding for the initiative through the "New NY Broadband Program," a $500 million grant program included in the 2015-16 state budget. Godfrey said they have been working with the state broadband office in Albany continuously over the last several months to put NORA at the top of the list for funding.
"We have been working very hard between the two counties to help secure this funding, which is not yet available," Godfrey said. "We're very excited to finally have chosen a vendor that can provide this service. They will own, operate and service this technology for every resident."
He said there will be no money spent by taxpayers to provide this service, other than to those residents who decide to sign up.
"I hope to see that this will create a competitive environment for our Internet services across our two counties and across the state," Godfrey said. "This is an unprecedented step. The first in the state."
The pilot program will be placed between the towns of Hartland and Ridgeway. Godfrey said the service will build out from there and follow soon after the pilot begins. He also said the service cannot be built out past the two counties' borders until the Internet is provided to every address point within.
"It's been a long road, over two years," Godfrey said. "It's a great initiative that is going to serve our public as it should have a long time ago."
Legislature Chairman Bill Ross, C-Wheatfield, commended Godfrey and NORA for "a lot of hard work."
"It's going to service 4,000 families in eastern Niagara County and Orleans County that did not have this level playing field," Ross said. "It's a great project. It only proves what two counties can do working together on a project."
The MOU is for 180 days and can be extended. It is to obtain funding for, design, install and operate the network. During that time, it's the job of the county to help secure the funding, Godfrey said.
©2015 the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal (Lockport, N.Y.), Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
