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Ryan McMahon Announced Verizon as the Vendor for the Broadband Initiative Ryan McMahon Announced Verizon as the Vendor for the Broadband Initiative

By Kennedy Houston

KENNEDY HOUSTON: 18-million dollars will be spent to provide broadband in underserved areas of Onondaga county. This will be the first time some residents have access to a service provider. However, this will also provide competition for those who already have a service provider. County Executive Ryan McMahon says Verizon will be an affordable option in comparison to competitors.

RYAN MCMAHON: Affordability matters and it matters a little bit more right now as we’ve seen over the last two years the impacts of what’s been going on with inflation and rising costs uh and Verizon has a very competitive affordability plan.

HOUSTON: The partnership between the county and Verizon will benefit the local economy too. Vice president of Verizon Anthony Lewis says the broadband initiative will create jobs.

ANTHONY LEWIS: Uh rather than place a number on it is the opportunity that gets created because economic development is happening throughout that entire process.

HOUSTON: Onondaga county expects that the initiative could lead to more residents living in the area. McMahon says the economic development will give people a reason to move here.

MCMAHON: People that otherwise would have lived here and potentially gone away to school um they’re gonna stay here right because those jobs are here and people who left are gonna come back.

HOUSTON: Verizon will provide 214 miles of fiber optics. This is expected to support fifteen hundred households that currently do not have access to broadband. With this new access, they’ll now be able to get things like the internet. In Lafayette, Kennedy Houston, N-C-C News.

LAFAYETTE, N.Y. (NCC News)–  The County Executive Ryan McMahon has announced that Verizon will be the vendor for the Broadband Initiative. The initiative is meant to provide broadband to underserved households that don’t have access to the internet. However, McMahon thinks this will lead to a boost in the population.

“When we’re taking about a community that’s 477,000 people today,” McMahon said.” But we know with what’s coming is likely gonna be over 600,000 people within five to 10 years this infrastructure is needed for these communities to compete for investment.”

McMahon thinks this new development is critical for these communities to succeed in the future.

“This isn’t about planning for yesterday’s Central New York. This about planning for tomorrows Central New York,” McMahon said. “The newest semi-conductor hub of memory technology in the world. This infrastructure gonna be critical for these communities to compete for population growth and economic development investment moving forward.”

County Legislator David Knapp believes this development could also benefit new and small businesses in the community.

“Can’t tell you how many folks wanted to start small businesses in the towns down here, but can’t because they don’t have broadband,” Knapp said. “And so, this will open up the gates to lots of other small businesses. A lot of our farms can’t expand because of technology, and so you know this is going to solve a lot of our problems from that standpoint too. So, it won’t just be direct jobs stringing the line. It’s gonna be following jobs down the road.”

McMahon said the total investment into the initiative is 18 million dollars.

“11.1 million dollars from the County of Onondaga,” McMahon said. ” Seven million dollars matched from Verizon. That’s an incredible match. This was not the cheapest proposal, but because Verizon put so much skin in the game, it was the best proposal moving forward.”

 

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