Courtesy: LG Chamber & CVB (2020)
NYS Holiday Tree Set at Welcome Center
From Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce and CVB: QUEENSBURY, NY — The Adirondacks Welcome Center unveiled its 2020 New York State Grown & Certified Holiday Tree adorned with New York agricultural-themed ornaments.
The tree is on display outside the Welcome Center throughout December to celebrate the holiday season, welcoming visitors and reminding them of the region’s rich and diverse agricultural industry.
The 6 foot tall fraser-balsam hybrid was grown and harvested from Bailey Family Christmas Trees in Cambridge in southern Washington County. Learn more at baileytrees.com
Amongst the gingham ribbon and white lights on the tree, visitors can find brown eggs, hops, wheat, foxtail grasses, blueberries and lavender – all products grown in the region. The topper is adorned with three stately reindeer representing “safe travels” to visitors passing through the Welcome Center.
Visit the Taste NY Facebook page after December 16th to vote for your favorite tree topper in the annual statewide Welcome Center tree topper competition!
Inside the Adirondacks Welcome Center, visitors can check the ladder display and buy from approximately 80 Taste NY vendors. The Welcome Center is located on I-87 between northbound Exits 17 &18.
North Country Broadband, two press releases, two takes:
From Rep. Elise Stefanic, (R, NY21): Announcing Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, FCC Awarding Over $99 Million for New York State Broadband Projects
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is awarding $99,891,715 through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction for providers to deploy broadband across 46,647 unserved locations across New York.
The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund is an FCC initiative to close the digital divide in rural America, with the Phase I auction focused on allocating universal service funds on unserved areas that most need support.
The Phase II auction will allocate an additional $11.2 billion nationwide, targeting partially-served areas and any fully unserved areas that did not receive funding through Phase I.
Winning providers must meet periodic buildout requirements that will require them to reach all assigned locations by the end of the sixth year, and are incentivized to build out to all locations as fast as possible.
Last January, the FCC rendered New York State ineligible for the up-to $16 billion that would be allocated in Phase I of the plan to expand high-speed broadband access. Following that announcement, I spoke directly with Chairman Pai of the FCC and sent multiple letters requesting that the FCC reverse their decision and reiterating the urgent need for unserved areas in the North Country to be included in the initial round of funding. The FCC, in turn, reversed their decision and deemed New York eligible.
From Rep. Paul Tonko (D, NY 20): After leading a bipartisan and bicameral effort in Congress to demand that New York State be considered eligible for federal rural broadband funds, Congressman Paul D. Tonko announced today that $99,891,715 has been allocated to a new service provider in New York to deliver broadband access to parts of the Capital Region that are currently unserved.
The funding will bring broadband services to 46,647 locations across the state, including several communities in the Capital Region that will be served by SpaceX, with funds awarded and administered through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Auction. SpaceX won its bid to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet at a 100Mbps baseline tier.
“Broadband internet access is fundamental to building a strong, just and competitive economy for our region and nation,” Congressman Tonko said.
The Capital Region will receive a total of $980,888.54 in broadband funding, with each county receiving the following:
Albany County will receive $71,257.20 in funding to 55 locations
Schenectady County will receive $7,076.60 in funding to 5 locations
Saratoga County will receive $383,347.24 in funding to 187 locations
Rensselaer County will receive $61,336.00 in funding to 15 locations
Montgomery County will receive $457,871.50 in funding to 328 locations
A reminder: all news press releases are edited for space and style. Which release makes the posting, and how much of it, is made at the sole discretion of the editor. If you would like your release included, please contact Steve Thurston steve@foothillsbusinessdaily.com. Releases received by close-of-business Monday will be considered for the Tuesday post.