{"id":171754,"date":"2025-09-21T12:13:24","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T12:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/171754\/"},"modified":"2025-09-21T12:13:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T12:13:24","slug":"broadband-construction-begins-on-light-up-livingston-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/171754\/","title":{"rendered":"Broadband construction begins on Light Up Livingston project"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thousands of homes and businesses across Livingston County are one step closer to getting high-speed internet.<\/p>\n

Crews have officially started construction on the Light Up Livingston broadband project, kicking off a years-long effort to bring fiber internet to rural communities across the county.<\/p>\n

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A major milestone for broadband access<\/p>\n

The project is moving from planning and engineering into full-scale construction, backed by millions in state and federal grants. When complete, the new network will deliver fast, affordable internet to thousands of underserved locations\u2014boosting access to education, healthcare, public safety, and jobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a major investment in our people and the future of our community,\u201d said David L. LeFeber, chair of the Livingston County Board of Supervisors. \u201cIt gives all our residents the same opportunities, no matter where they live.\u201d<\/p>\n

Construction is being led by Hunt Engineers, Architects & Surveyors, along with a team of partners handling the network design, permitting, and installation. This phase is expected to wrap up by the end of 2027.<\/p>\n

Local partnerships make it possible<\/p>\n

The County is working with Empire Access, a family-owned internet provider based in Prattsburgh, to build and operate the new fiber network. Empire Access has more than 125 years of experience and a strong presence in rural New York and Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a locally based provider, we understand the unique needs of rural communities,\u201d said Kevin Dickens, chief operating officer at Empire Access. \u201cLight Up Livingston is about more than just broadband. It\u2019s about connecting people to opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funding for the project includes support from the USDA\u2019s ReConnect program and $26.5 million from New York State\u2019s ConnectALL Municipal Infrastructure Program, administered by Empire State Development.<\/p>\n

More than internet \u2014 it\u2019s infrastructure<\/p>\n

The new network will also link to the Southern Tier Network and other regional systems, boosting long-term reliability and capacity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project is a powerful example of how New York State is working with local partners to close the digital divide,\u201d said Hope Knight, president and CEO of Empire State Development. \u201cIt supports everything from education and public safety to economic growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more or pre-sign up for service, visit www.lightuplivingston.com<\/a>. Signing up early means you\u2019ll be first in line when service becomes available in your area.<\/p>\n

Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox each morning.\u00a0Sign up for our Morning Edition to start your day<\/a>. FL1 on the Go! Download the free FingerLakes1.com App for iOS (iPhone, iPad)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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FingerLakes1.com is the region\u2019s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thousands of homes and businesses across Livingston County are one step closer to getting high-speed internet. Crews have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":171755,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[174,74],"class_list":{"0":"post-171754","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-internet","8":"tag-internet","9":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171754\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}