ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. — Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz wants to borrow $20 million and build a 360-mile network of high-speed fiber.
The goal is to bring quality internet to every community across Erie County.
"We've waited long enough. It's now time for us to do it, and I think this is something that we need to do. Otherwise our county is gonna get hurt," Poloncarz explained.
According to Ookla, a company that tests internet speeds every year, Buffalo was the fifth-worst city in the country for fast internet in 2018.
It's an issue local legislators told 2 On Your Side they've witnessed firsthand.
Erie County Legislator Joe Lorigo said, "In the district that I represent, the people that live in the more rural parts of the district don't have access to high-speed internet, and it's been a problem with them for years now."
Lynne Dixon, an Erie County Legislator and candidate for Erie County Executive, shared that experience.
"That's how we function in many respects," she said. "That's how businesses function and even households do. When you can't get access to it, when there's difficulty, that presents a challenge in so many ways."
But there is concern when it comes to the cost, and if the county executive's proposal is the right way to tackle the problem.
Martha Buyer, a communications technology attorney said, "There is a lot of capacity that exists right now but nobody knows who's got it all and there are other places where there's virtually none. This is a win, win. It is a public/private partnership in the best of all ways."
Poloncarz said the plan is to eventually lease the lines to internet service providers and maybe even businesses.
By doing that, the county executive believes they'll likely make more off the system than the amount they spend operating it on an annual basis.
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