The state of New York has launched the fourth phase of the New York Municipal Infrastructure Program (MIP) Request for Applications, which will provide nearly $50 million available to support broadband infrastructure projects across the state.
Applications will be accepted through April 25.
MIP is designed to connect unserved and underserved communities to high-speed internet through open-access and publicly controlled broadband infrastructure. So far, the New York ConnectALL program has awarded more than $240 million for broadband projects.
Those funds have been used for the construction of almost 2,400 miles of fiber and connecting nearly 100,000 locations throughout the state. The fourth phase of the program boosts the total funding to nearly $300 million, using funds from the U.S. Department of Treasury Capital Projects Fund.
“Reliable, affordable high-speed internet is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity for New Yorkers to fully participate in our modern economy and society,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a prepared statement about the broadband grants.
“Through the ConnectALL initiative, we are making historic investments to ensure every New Yorker has access to the digital tools they need to succeed. Phase 4 of the Municipal Infrastructure Program builds on our ongoing efforts to address broadband gaps in areas that have been overlooked and underserved by traditional internet service providers.”
Phase 4 is designed to build on the Governor’s State of the State commitment to establish the Excelsior Broadband Network to build and connect a network of public broadband assets across the state. The first component of the Excelsior Broadband Network will be a new fiber line that runs the full length of the New York Thruway.
Joshua Breitbart — Senior Vice President of New York’s Empire State Development, which has been tasked with fulfilling the state’s ambitious ConnectALL initiative told Telecompetitor earlier this year that his staff is committed to strengthening broadband throughout the state.
