More details needed before committing $4.2 million for broadband gaps in Orleans
Editor:
I read the March 24th news story about Orleans County wanting to spend $4.2 million of stimulus funds to extend broadband throughout the county. The proposal seems to be using a fixed wireless system to serve 3,600+ homes.
I appreciate the difficulty that people without good internet service must be experiencing, however I would hope that the county would share a few more details before proceeding. What is the expected speed, monthly cost, data usage limits, and name of the company that customers will be dealing with?
Though the Spectrum expansion has been much delayed, the “New York State Broadband Expansion Address Lookup” website, www.bldlkup.com, indicates local expansion within 12 months – at least for the few Orleans County addresses that I entered. On December 6, 2016 a Hub article indicated that this expansion would cover all but 77 Orleans County households.
Additionally, SpaceX Starlink is ramping up service and is primarily targeting rural areas like ours. Their website is saying that our area is targeted for coverage in mid to late 2021 for $99/month plus equipment costs. People who have been beta testing it have reported speeds already faster than what I get from Spectrum.
It would be comforting to know that any local wireless system that we invest in will be able to successfully compete for customers in the coming years.
Lastly, please do not forget us village residents when the county identifies areas to spend stimulus funds on – we pay county taxes too.
Jason Dragon
Albion