Southern Tier Network

July 14, 2022 ECC Technologies

ECC Technologies has been the lead consultant on the Southern Tier Network, a 550-mile Open Access dark fiber backbone installed throughout the New York counties of Steuben, Chemung, Schuyler, Allegany, Broome, Tompkins, Tioga, and Yates, since its inception.

ISSUE

The Southern Tier Central Regional Planning Development Board wished to explore the potential for building a fiber optic ring through Steuben, Chemung, and Schuyler Counties to bring economic development to New York’s Southern Tier and address the lack of broadband access to rural populations within the counties’ borders.

SOLUTION

ECC conducted a broadband study and included the development of a business plan to support the development of the $10 million, 250-mile network to the original three counties of Steuben, Chemung, and Schuyler. Once the business plan was accepted, ECC assisted in the formation of a Local Development Corporation, securing regulatory approvals, pole attachment rights, and funding for the development of infrastructure to support community-wide broadband and Economic Development initiatives.

ECC is responsible for the standards-compliant design, bid, construction management, and ongoing operational and sales support services that have led to collaboration across all levels of the community, including incumbent providers.

OUTCOME

To date, school districts, healthcare institutions, library systems, local government, power utilities, and businesses have taken advantage of STN’s fiber-optic network to create their own high-speed private networks. In addition, eight carriers have signed on to leverage STN’s network to expand their service offerings into the eight counties’ STN services. These carriers have brought competitive Fiber-based services to businesses in the region. They have also brought Fiber to the Home (FTTH) at gigabit speeds to served, unserved, and underserved residential areas in the region. Through ECC’s sales consulting efforts, competitive local exchange carriers used the STN backbone to include FTTH deployments to the municipalities of Corning, Big Flats, Elmira, Naples, and Penn Yan.

ECC also developed supporting and grant documents needed to secure nearly $10 million in additional funds from the New York State Broadband Program Office to expand STN to Allegany, Broome, Tompkins, Tioga, and Yates Counties to complete the now 550-mile Open Access backbone.