Demand Aggregation, Southern Tier Region of New York

This project is a bit different from the other ones mentioned in the Connecting Rural Communities guide for two reasons. First, it did not involve a particular technology but rather focused on needs assessments and aggregation of demand. It is also unique to the other case studies because it involves three counties working together. The counties are Chemung, Schuyler and Stueben which make up the Southern Tier region of New York State.

This region has pockets of population concentration but is mostly rural and broadband is not available to most homes or businesses. In 2003 the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) held a workshop and invited representatives from health, education, government and business for the three counties to discuss aggregation for demand possibilities for the three counties. After the workshop it was decided that the region needed money to conduct a study to see what was available and where potential for aggregation existed. They received a grant from the state senator and ARC in 2004 to hire a consultant.

A consultant was hired to measure all existing fiber, cell towers and work with service providers to determine what was available. Next, the consultant held focus groups to see what was needed. One of the ways the region has been able to use this information is to negotiate better service and price from the providers. The survey demonstrated that the area may have enough resources to leverage rather than undertaking the expense of building a new network. This is a good example of how communities can work together to find low cost solutions rather than several small areas trying to build new networks or reinventing the wheel.

When this process started the only broadband option for the community was offered through the cable provider. Since then the incumbent local exchange carrier also gave some money to do a diffusion study. They found that one phone company was overcharging and had to put money back into the communities. This was used to provide high speed service to the school districts, hospitals and local government offices.

One of the many lessons learned in this project is that communities need perseverance. These projects can be frustrating but are worth while and once people recognize the benefits they want to help. Another outcome of the project is that GIS maps from the study can be used to show where business development and infrastructure development can happen and encourage economic development.

For More Information:
Contact: Marsha Weber, Executive Director
Southern Tier Central Regional Planning Development Board
Phone: 607-962-5092
Email: weber@stny.rr.com