Governor Cuomo in Hudson
When the word spread last night that Governor Andrew Cuomo would be in Hudson this morning, it was hoped he was coming to announce that Hudson was getting the $10 million in the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. Alas, that was not the case, but the news was almost as good.
Governor Cuomo came to Hudson today with Public Service Commission chair Audrey Zibelman to announce a program that will make high-speed internet service--100 megabits per second--available to everyone in the state by the end of 2018. Columbia County is one of six target counties that will have high-speed internet access by the middle of 2017--just a year from now. The plan was a condition of the PSC approving the merger of Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications.
In his remarks, Governor Cuomo compared his Broadband for All initiative to President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the interstate highway system and Governor DeWitt Clinton and the Erie Canal. He noted that New York is the only state that has made a commitment to providing high-speed internet access to all its residents. Today, he said, 99 percent of the state is without high-speed internet access; by 2018, 100 percent of the state will have high-speed access.
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NOTE: You can now watch the entire event on the governor's website: "Governor Cuomo Announces Sweeping Progress Toward Nation-leading Goal of Broadband for All."
The incomplete answer has todo with Hudson. PSC Commission Chair Audrey Zibelman said there were areas in Columbia County uncovered by the TimeWanrer/Charter merger services but that 14,500 (not the exact figure) were to gain coverage with additional state funding.
ReplyDeleteOn the Governor's website there is reference to "Mid-Hudson Dataaa receiving $1 Million. Is that MidHudson Cable?
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-sweeping-progress-toward-nation-leading-goal-broadband-all
And our friends at Gtell receive $2.3 million. The devil is in the details.
The governor's analogy to President Eisenhower and the Interstate Highway System is noteworthy. Like high-speed internet access, train service to Hudson is vital to Hudson's economy, but the governor is oblivious to the fact that most Amtrak trains to Hudson and Rhinecliff are completely sold out on weekends. This is a bottleneck that limits economic growth in Hudson. Accordingly, I urge Governor Cuomo and Mayor Hamilton to extend Metro North train service, which currently ends in Poughkeepsie, north to Hudson and Rhinecliff.
ReplyDeleteMetro-North would gladly extend its service to Hudson. Columbia County, however, would have to spend c. $1 million/annum to subsidize the train service and the Supervisors aren't willing to do that. This has been studied and discussed for years -- it's not a mystery.
ReplyDelete-- Jock Spivy
If the City of Hudson is serious about creating jobs through tourism, the idea of extending Metro North service to Hudson should be revived. Hudson is among the busiest Amtrak stations in the State of New York, and the train plays a crucial role in this city's economy. If trains to Hudson are consistently sold out every weekend, tourists will go elsewhere, and our local economy will stagnate. It is written.
DeleteMetro North could do it at a fraction of that cost if they used Budd Cars from Rhinecliff to Albany.
DeleteFor what it's worth, here's a snippet from Wikipedia regarding the idea...
Delete"Extension of service north of Poughkeepsie
Since the tracks continue north of Poughkeepsie, there have been various proposals over the years from both the MTA (Metro-North's parent agency) and Amtrak, to extend service northwards. Amtrak's predecessor Conrail operated commuter rail service north of Poughkeepsie to Albany-Rensselaer until 1981; since then, only Amtrak's intercity trains continue beyond Poughkeepsie. Most proposals have been scratched after strong opposition from residents of northern Dutchess County, who fear the effect on their still largely rural communities that being within an easy rail commute of midtown Manhattan would have. However, Poughkeepsie-area commuters have supported such plans since they would ease pressure on that station. As recently as January 2007, supervisors of some towns north of Poughkeepsie have expressed new interest in extending rail service."