Statement from Governor David A. Paterson: New York City Awarded $28 Million in Broadband Stimulus Funding

ALBANY, NY (03/22/2010)(readMedia)-- Governor David A. Paterson issued the following statement regarding the award of a $28 million federal stimulus grant for a broadband development project in New York City. The grant was made through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"I am extremely pleased to learn that the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded $28 million in federal stimulus funding to New York City's Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications for their NYC Connected Learning Program. Bringing broadband to urban areas is important to ensure New York's vulnerable populations can harness the value of the internet. Although broadband availability is higher in our urban centers, adoption rates are often much lower. It is vital to bridge these digital literacy gaps to equalize opportunities for lower-income and disadvantaged urban and rural populations.

"The NYC Connected Learning Program, targeted for low-income 6th graders, utilizes broadband to create a vital and reinforcing link between the classroom and the home to simultaneously support the achievement of disadvantaged students, while spurring broadband adoption. The program provides students and their families a robust set of tools to create a home learning environment, including a free computer, discounted broadband service, and access to rich online educational resources, along with digital literacy training and access to a bilingual help desk. The program will serve 100 schools with approximately 19,488 students and 42,874 household members, and generate an estimated 14,377 new broadband subscribers.

"With the announcement of today's award, four New York State government agencies and non-government organizations received federal grant funding for broadband projects totaling $82.7 million.

"I thank President Obama, Vice President Biden and our Congressional Delegation for their foresight and diligence in setting aside these funds for broadband development and deployment and balancing the needs of our urban and rural communities."

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