Letter to the Hon. Sonny Perdue, Secretary of the Dept. of Agriculture - Schumer: As Livingston County continues to recover from COVID-19 and children get ready to go back to school, over 40% of Livingston County still does not have sufficient- or any- access to broadband; in Livingston on Friday, senator called for USDA to immediately approve $14.4 million in grant funding to address the county's internet access needs

Letter

Dear Secretary Perdue:

I am pleased to write in support of the application submitted by the public-private partnership in Livingston County, Light Up Livingston to the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) ReConnect Program.

The Light Up Livingston application includes over 400 miles of all fiber optic network bringing fiber into Livingston County's most rural and underserved areas which, upon completion, will serve over 5,500 households, farms and businesses with 1 Gigabit-level internet service.

Livingston County has made substantial effort to assess and analyze the current internet landscape including service offerings, speeds, and provision of service. The completed technical reports indicate that there are substantial gaps in service which could be reduced through ReConnect funding. A community-wide survey of residents, businesses, and farm operators reinforces the quantitative data collected on the need for highspeed, reliable internet access for economic success in Livingston County.

High-speed broadband internet will result in immediate and long-term economic benefit to Livingston County. I applaud Livingston County for its foresight, and sincerely hope the application meets with your approval.

Thank you for your consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact me or my Grants Coordinator in my Washington, DC office at 202-224-6542.

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