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.
