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Private Broadband Initiative A 'Go' In Central NY

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas
Published October 26, 2015 at 9:35 AM EDT
WAMC photo illustration by Dave Lucas

Broadband internet is about to get a big boost in parts of central New York.   It's a private initiative, apart from the state’s expansion plan.

The Oneida Indian Nation has partnered with Northland Communications' Syracuse division to build a fiber network. According to the Utica Observer-Dispatch, the Nation began the independent project  earlier this year to enhance the experience of patrons at Oneida-run casinos and gas-station convenience stores.

Northland Communications President Jim McCarthy says much of the area has no speed high-speed internet service.

The paper says the network will run through many non-Nation owned areas, enabling businesses along those routes to connect with it if they wish.

The initiative is separate from the state’s plan to expand broadband service to rural areas by 2019.
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Central New York News Broadband ExpansionBroadband DevelopmentOneida Indian Nationfiber optic internethigh-speed internet
Dave Lucas
Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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