Pattern for Progress is helping the state’s ConnectALL office to improve and finalize the maps that will drive eligibility for $664 million in broadband infrastructure funds.
The deadline for public comments is April 11, and the deadline for official challenges to the map is April 18. This is a very bureaucratic process with a tight deadline, so be sure to pay attention to this now if you have swaths of your community without connectivity.
Here are the basic things you need to know:
The public can submit comments until April 11. That process is outlined in the “Public Comment Flyer” attached here.
Your county or town should prioritize soliciting comments from people/businesses who have no broadband service or extremely slow service.
Those people should submit comments and certain forms of evidence (also outlined in the attachment above) as soon as possible.
The vast majority of your unserved or underserved folks are probably already on the map. This part of the process is to perfect, fact-check, and finalize maps that already show a lot of locations without service in the region.
Pattern will share broad communication on this, but it is important for your county or town to publicize this as well. Get people moving toward reviewing and commenting on the map!
Starting on March 19, local governments and nonprofits will be able to register as official “challengers.” Details about this are in the “Eligible Challenger Flyer.” You only have until April 18 to submit challenges to the map.
This will allow your local government or nonprofit to submit challenges to the map with the proper documentation.
It will also allow you to see the public comments (and the supporting evidence that went along with them) and turn them into formal challenges.
Local units of government have an additional responsibility – identifying anchor institutions that are missing from the map that might provide internet to people who do not have it. Think about places like libraries, community centers, YMCAs, public and supportive housing, etc.
A few quick resources:
Pattern has created a step-by-step rundown of the process for you here: https://www.pfprogress.org/portfolio/connectall/
The state published a guide for challengers here: https://broadband.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2024/03/nys-broadband-challenge-process-user-guide.pdf
The public can submit comments, and you can see the map, by going here: https://register.broadband.ny.gov/map-correction
Local governments and nonprofits can become a challenger by registering here: https://register.broadband.ny.gov/register/bead
Three final things:
When in doubt, call or email the Pattern team. We can help you.
Remember to share this broadly with the public in places where you are likely to have little/zero service. The heft of this work is a public outreach campaign. (Pattern will be trying to get this into news outlets, but you should too!)
Also remember that the goal is to make the region – and your communities – maximally competitive for this infrastructure money.
Sincerely,
Adam Bosch
President & CEO | Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress
abosch@pfprogress.org | (845) 565-4900
www.pfprogress.org
Eligible Challenger Flyer
Public Comment Flyer
