Ulster County Citizens Commission for Digital Inclusion

The Commission was first convened in May of 2022. The Commission is made up individual citizens and elected officials from those communities that are least served with high- speed fiber. The Commission has met 14 times over the course of the last two years and has taken on a variety of activities.

• The Commission held two Broadband Town Halls: one in the Town of Shandaken and one in the Town of Rochester.
• The Commission created the Ulster County Broadband Map and filed numerous challenges with both the FCC and the ConnectAll New York broadband program.
• Maintains a list of unserved addresses in Ulster County.
• The Commission has a library of cable franchise agreements so municipalities negotiating with Charter/Spectrum cable franchise agreements have example agreements to review.

The Commission has worked over the last several years sharing and communicating information regarding the Broadband infrastructure funding being made available through the BEAD program. This work includes sharing information with elected officials as well as the public. As the Commission conducted its work over the last two years, two topics that come up often is that areas of the County lack cellular service and that emergency responders have no communications in
certain areas of the County.

Broadband Resources

• New York State Connect All: https://broadband.ny.gov/get-monthly-help-pay your-internet-service 
• U.S. Affordable Connectivity Program:  https://www.affordableconnectivity.gov/
• This non-profit connects families in underserved communities to affordable  internet service and computers, and delivers digital skills trainings (bi-lingual):  https://www.everyoneon.org/ 
• Free digital skills training: https://www.everyoneon.org/digital-learning
• Low cost offers for families, schools, and non-profits:  https://www.everyoneon.org/lowcost-offers 
• List of organizations working towards bridging the digital divide:  https://www.everyoneon.org/lowcost-offers 
• The ReConnect Loan and Grant Program furnishes loans and grants to provide  funds for the costs of construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities  and equipment needed to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas.  The application window is now OPEN. https://www.usda.gov/reconnect
• Federal Communications Commission: https://www.fcc.gov/emergency-broadband-benefit-providers
• Applications in Spanish: https://www.affordableconnectivity.gov/wp content/uploads/ACP-Application-Form-Spanish.pdf
• Applications in English: https://www.affordableconnectivity.gov/wp-content/uploads/ACP-Application-Form-English.pdf

Ulster County Franchise Agreements
(Google Drive Folder)