ERIE COUNTY, NY — Erie County Legislator Lindsay Lorigo has issued a formal letter to ErieNet Executive Director Melissa Hartman and Erie County’s Commissioner of Environment and Planning, demanding answers as to why, more than five years after the announcement of the ErieNet middle-mile broadband network, little progress has been made.
“Despite our recent mid-year budget hearings, we still lack clarity on the viability of this project and its true cost to taxpayers,” said Legislator Lorigo. “There is not one single residence in my district that has received service since the announcement of this project in 2019. It begs the question, is this even a viable project?”
The lawmaker is seeking answers including, but not limited to:
- How many miles of cable have been installed to date and where?
- What portions of the network are currently operational?
- How much money has been spent on the project so far?
- What are the current costs associated with storage, maintenance, and repairs?
- What are the long-term maintenance plans?
- What are the cost overruns, contractual deadlines missed, potential delays going forward?
- What is the status of potential barriers and status of negotiations with service providers?.
“The cost of ErieNet has already nearly doubled since first announced in 2019. The deadline has been repeatedly pushed back. The County Executive stated himself that construction would begin in late 2022, yet work didn’t even begin until this year. That is unacceptable and unfair to taxpayers. We need answers before another dollar is wasted, and this Administration owes transparency to the public,” said Legislator Lorigo.
The letter requests a written response to these questions, along with a formal committee meeting to review answers.
