In Tupper Lake, as in many other communities across the Northern Forest, access to broadband internet is a weak link in the community’s economic development prospects and limits residents’ access to education, health care, and telecommuting options.

The Center first addressed this issue in Tupper Lake by helping an important local employer, Tupper Lake Hardwoods, get hooked up to broadband with speeds fast enough to continue to operate the business and maintain increasingly sophisticated machinery. The Center and other partners secured funds and provided technical assistance so the wood products manufacturer could make the “last mile” connection, which was crucial to sustaining this local business.

The Center is building on this important business investment now by partnering with a Town-led broadband committee to extend last-mile broadband to more beneficiaries. Although there is a state-supported high-speed fiber optic line passing directly through Tupper Lake, very few in the community have been able to access it.  Many business owners and homeowners report problems with the reliability and speed of their existing service.

A recent grant award from the Northern Border Regional Commission should begin to solve these problems. Awarded to the Development Authority of the North Country (DANC) in partnership with the Town, the grant will fund last-mile connections to the high-speed fiber line in the main commercial districts of the community. It will also provide wireless connectivity for more far-flung parts of the town and Wi-Fi hotspots in key gathering locations. The Town will own the network and sit in the driver’s seat guiding this important facet of the community’s future.

The Center is proud to have been part of the team that secured this funding and anticipates that the “last mile” connection project will be a model for other communities as well as a dramatic improvement for people in Tupper Lake.

“We are so glad to be working with DANC and our other partners to develop a network that can constantly evolve and grow,” said Broadband Committee Chairman and Town Board member John Quinn. “In this era of rapidly evolving technology, we will be able to meet the needs of Tupper Lake’s businesses as they arise rather than having to be dependent on an external firm that may have other priorities. This is a tremendous step forward for our community.”