Lewis County towns get access to high-speed internet

LEWIS COUNTY, New York (WWNY) - Hundreds of rural homes and businesses in Lewis County, previously unserved, will now have access to high-speed broadband internet. It’s an initiative the county is rolling out thanks to money from the state.

When driving through rural communities in the county, you may marvel at some of the beautiful scenery. But for those who live here, there’s one thing that could be missing: high-speed internet

For some customers in the towns of Diana and Lyonsdale, that is about to change.

“The total cost was $750,000 which in large part was funded with assistance from the New York State Office of Homes and Community Renewal,” said Ryan Piche, county manager.

He says more than 600 homes and businesses in the two towns will benefit.

To get it done, the county is teaming up with the Development Authority of the North Country as well as Hudson Valley Wireless, who will help to directly connect customers to broadband services

“What we try to do with the programs we put together was address all three of those components - availability, affordability and device access,” said Jason Guzzo, CEO, general manager for Hudson Valley Wireless.

Piche says when this project is complete, there will only be about 1,200 homes and businesses left in Lewis County that don’t have access to broadband. Town officials say this is crucial.

“You almost have to have the internet to be able to live whether you are living remotely or again if you want to stream a movie. And being in a rural community, sometimes our people living in the outskirts of the hamlet, they don’t always have access to reliable internet,” said Zach Smith, town of Diana supervisor.

Guzzo says customers in these areas will need to head to the Hudson Valley Wireless website to see if they are able to have service hooked up.

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