Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara has written a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo urging the state to expand access to affordable high-speed broadband for the people of the 111th Assembly District and the region.

Access to high-speed broadband is a major problem in the 111th Assembly District, with almost half the area lacking access to the state’s minimum download speed of 6.5 Mbps¹. Additionally, access to download speeds of 100 Mbps, which is regarded by most economic experts as the minimum speed needed for economic growth, is almost non-existent² .

“Broadband is a critical piece of 21st century infrastructure that spurs job creation, improves educational outcomes and attracts residents,” said Santabarbara. “We should be investing the state’s resources in high-speed broadband in order to make New York more attractive to individuals and businesses.”

The governor is beginning to implement the “New NY Broadband Fund,” a proposed $1 billion public-private partnership to lay 6,000 miles of fiber optic cables across New York, and Santabarbara is urging the state to focus these efforts in Montgomery, Schenectady and Albany counties.

Read the entire letter HERE.

Santabarbara is also the co-sponsor of legislation (A7588) that creates tax credits for individuals and businesses to incentivize the expansion of affordable high-speed broadband into rural areas. This program would allow local people to determine their technological needs and would foster public-private partnerships.

“We must equip our upstate communities with the modern tools to compete with the rest of the world. Expanding access to affordable high-speed broadband is a smart investment that will boost our economy, prepare our students and improve quality of life,” Santabarbara concluded.

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1. http://nysbroadband.ny.gov/sites/default/files/pdfs/availability.pdf

2. http://nysbroadband.ny.gov/sites/default/files/pdfs/speed.pdf