Article By Karl Bode of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Community Networks: Link to article

Publish Date: Monday December 2, 2024

Erie County, New York’s ErieNet broadband initiative is poised to begin construction in Buffalo, NY, after the Buffalo Common Council recently passed a resolution approving the Telecommunications License Agreement with ErieNet LDC. The approval is a major step toward bringing affordable next-gen broadband access to long-neglected parts of Western New York.

ErieNet is a nonprofit, local development corporation (LDC), launched in September 2022, designed to construct and manage a municipal-based open-access fiber optic backbone. ECC Technologies has been chosen to handle sales, marketing, and tech support operations for the network.

“Construction has already begun for ErieNet with underground conduit installations, and utility work necessary to make utility poles ready for ErieNet fiber optic cable attachments,” ECC Technologies’ VP Matthew Crider tells ISLR. “We expect segments of our network to come online beginning in March of 2025; and have the ErieNet 400+ mile open access network substantially built by the end of 2025.”

“Bringing high-quality broadband to Erie County begins in the City of Buffalo, and the Common Council’s approval opens up the way to make that happen,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said in a prepared statement.

Crider told ILSR that the current construction budget for the network is approximately $34 million, funded through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) broadband grants.

The goal from the start has been to create a self-sustaining wholesale network where enterprise, carrier, anchor institutions, and other organizations looking to manage and control their own broadband networks pay a fee for access, shoring up connectivity to Western New York communities stuck on the wrong side of the digital divide.

“The ErieNet backbone will interconnect all county villages, towns and cities back to downtown Buffalo Internet and Broadband Service Providers,” Crider said. “ErieNet connects to the major carrier co-location facilities, providing opportunities to extend these advanced network services throughout the county. ErieNet passes village, town and city facilities, affordable housing complexes, public safety facilities, libraries, schools and higher ed, hospitals, and healthcare facilities.”

Complaints about substandard local broadband access have plagued Western New York for much of the last decade.

Muted competition between Charter Communications (Spectrum) and Verizon have long resulted in spotty access, high prices, slow speeds, and substandard customer service.

ErieNet should dramatically lower the cost of regional connectivity, as well as the market entry costs for new regional competitors. That added competition, in time, should dramatically expand access, improve speed and service quality, and ideally help lower regional prices.

“As an open access network (OAN), any public or private organization or enterprise can connect to our network,” Crider said. “This includes telecom carriers, broadband providers, and Internet providers. While ErieNet does not offer residential services, we do make our county-wide backbone available to any Internet provider that wants to build into our communities connected by ErieNet.”