Gov proposes $1 billion broadband investment

By KIM SMITH DEDAM Press-Republican

LAKE PLACID — Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to make a $500 million broadband investment for high-speed Internet across the state.

The New New York Broadband Program funding would be made available to match $500 million in private business investments, bringing the total initiative to a total $1 billion, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul said here on Friday morning.

The goal, she announced in a room crowded with civic and business leaders at the Lake Placid Conference Center, is to ensure that every person in the state has high-speed Internet by the end of 2018.

The program is part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Budget, set for release on Wednesday, Jan. 21, and subject to approval by state lawmakers.

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