Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Friday $34 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund will be going toward building hundreds of miles of new fiber optic infrastructure. The development promises to bring reliable and high-speed internet to underserved areas of the Southern Tier.

The awards will consist of $18.2 million for the Southern Tier Network, $8.9 million for the Towns of Dryden and Caroline and $6.9 million for the Village and Town of Sherburne and Town of Columbus.

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$34 million to go toward high-speed internet in the Southern Tier

The Southern Tier Network, a nonprofit which is run by Southern Tier counties, will build 223 miles of fiber optic infrastructure giving 4,200 homes and businesses access to high-speed internet for the first time. The Village of Sherburne will build 65 miles of new fiber optic infrastructure, which will connect more than 500 locations to high-speed internet. In the Town of Dryden and Town of Caroline, 125 miles of fiber will connect 2,600 locations.

“With this federal funding, hundreds of miles of fiber will connect thousands of homes from Steuben to Tioga County to affordable, high-speed internet meaning better access to jobs, healthcare, education and economic opportunity,” Schumer said in a statement. “The Southern Tier knows broadband is not a luxury, it is a necessity, a utility as vital as electricity for success in our modern economy to ensure people can stay connected.”