ION to build 1,300 mile Broadband Fiber Network

ALBANY,USA: ION HoldCo, LLC, a partnership majority owned by Sovernet Communications (a subsidiary of Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. along with twelve independent rural telephone companies in New York, announced it has received a federal broadband stimulus grant of $39.7 million to augment its existing 2200 mile fiber network with 1,300 miles of additional fiber-optic middle-mile broadband network.

“This grant facilitates the extension of our existing strategy of delivering high capacity transport network services to unserved and underserved areas of New York State.”

The project, the ION Upstate New York Rural Broadband Initiative, will be completed in partnership with the Development Authority of the North Country (DANC) and will enable high speed Internet access to underserved communities throughout upstate New York, along with parts of Vermont and Pennsylvania. An additional $9.9 million will be invested in the project by ION and DANC.

“This is great news for our great state,” said ION CEO James Becker. “This grant facilitates the extension of our existing strategy of delivering high capacity transport network services to unserved and underserved areas of New York State.”

The grant, announced December 17 by Vice President Joseph Biden, will be awarded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) under its Broadband Technology Opportunities Program. In addition to the NTIA stimulus funding, ION has been notified by New York State authorities that the project will receive an additional grant of 10% of the total project cost through the NY State Innovation Economy Matching Grant Program.