SULLIVAN COUNTY — During the Legislature’s Budget and Management Committee meeting on Thursday, November 13, Information Technology Services Commissioner Lorne Green presented an update on the $30M Archtop Fiber Broadband Project and characterized the internet speed that it will bring as “transformational” to almost 23,000 addresses in Sullivan County.

Green explained that construction began last month with the installation of 3.7 miles of conduit in Liberty and the marking of roads in Bloomingburg and Wurtsboro. He said that bureaucracy has held up progress, but “after 13 months of administrative nightmare, we finally have a signed Grant Disbursement Agreement between the county and the state that allows us to be able to get reimbursed for what we’re about to do.”

Green said this is just phase one of a five to ten year project. “We’re only covering about 55% of the county with this project, the remainder is gonna come in the future. There is a limit to dollars, there’s a limit to what we had to work with, so we’re doing the best with what we’ve got available.”

In order to maximize the $30 million in funding, Green said, the winning strategy is to construct a mix of fiber and wireless access. “This is leveraged by utilizing existing tower infrastructure, meaning no additional development cost consideration to significantly expand funding reach with an already invested in county-owned resource.” 

He said the project will serve 22,480 addresses, 51% of which will have access to fiber internet; these locations will have the option of purchasing plans with various internet speeds.

District Three Legislator Matt McPhillips highlighted the economic development aspect of the project, with it bringing the opportunity for more remote work. “That’s been a big thing, at least in my district,” he said. “You see people coming up and being able to live in Sullivan County where they want to be but work in California or Texas, it’s really incredible.”

Green explained that the broadband project targets an internet speed of 100 megabits by 100 megabits because those are mandates of the municipal infrastructure grant program governed by Empire State Development Corporation. 

He said the grant program also mandates that fiber internet is the priority where possible, and wireless internet will be installed where necessary. The difference between fiber and wireless is the way data is transferred; fiber uses light through cables and is generally faster and more reliable, while wireless relies on radio waves. 

Green added further mandates of the program: it must support 10 to 20 years of service life and utilize existing infrastructure to minimize development cost.

Green said 32% of the 22,480 addresses will have access to 100 megabits by 100 megabits wireless internet, and the rest are in challenging locations with physical obstacles that will get slightly below 100 megabits in upload speed but still get 100 megabits in download speed.

After reiterating the challenges of limited funding and environmental barriers, and highlighting that 82.84% of locations will meet or exceed the 100 megabits by 100 megabits standard of internet speed mandated by the infrastructure grant, Green concluded: “We are delivering the most capable broadband infrastructure possible to the highest number of service locations within the constraints of physical conditions and funding availability. Fiber where feasible, wireless where necessary. It’s a balanced approach, fiscally responsible, and geographically realistic.”