JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — Back in April, the City of Jamestown unveiled a feasibility study to create its own municipal broadband system.
With billions of dollars being made available for broadband projects, Jamestown is hoping to bridge the digital divide and build its own network.
While skeptics believe the city shouldn't be building the $25 million system, the broadband commission is beginning the process of looking at what they can do.
Jamestown is in a unique position compared to other municipalities because it owns and operates its own power utility. While it will need additional staff and hardware to roll out a broadband network, the city knows how to operate a utility, versus figuring it out as they go.
Seven months after the study was released, the city's broadband commission held its first meeting.
The commission consists of members from the school district, utility, and residents who expressed interest in the project. Mayor Eddie Sundquist is leading the commisison.
"We recognize and realize that there is a huge need for ensuring that our kids and our city is connected," Mayor Sundquist said during the meeting.
Members of the commission questioned the Department of Public Service's newly released broadband map that claims Jamestown has near complete coverage.
"It says 99.3% are served in Jamestown, so we really need to find out. What's the truth here?" one commission member said.
The Chief Information Officer for Jamestown Public Schools, Jessie Joy, said during the meeting that while that may technically be true, it became apparent during the pandemic that the affordability of the internet was the biggest problem facing students.
"We had sufficient devices to send the devices home with every student," Joy said. "But the students couldn't connect remotely to school, because they didn't have internet in the household. "
Joy said that 3 out of 4 Jamestown Public School students received some form of financial assistance.
Mayor Sundquist also said that communication from Albany has become non-existent since a recent transition of leadership within the ConnectAll office, which oversees state broadband initiatives.
"It's been kind of crickets," Sundquist said. "We're working to try to figure that out, but they have not opened the grant funding."
Governor Hochul during her state of the state address in early 2022 pledged over $1 billion toward broadband projects in New York.
2 On Your Side has reached out to the ConnectAll office for comment.