Broadband Counts When Choosing a Candidate, Says AARP Study

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Residents in New York, especially in rural areas, are facing gaps in broadband coverage. WGRZ-TV reported that some places, like Buffalo in upstate New York, only have access to one provider, and overall, New Yorkers are struggling with access and affordability. 

According to a new survey released by AARP, registered New York voters are setting their sights on a candidate that will broaden broadband access and make the service more affordable. The survey, conducted at the end of September, had 749 respondents aged 35 and up who are registered to vote; 13.5 percent from the Buffalo-Rochester area, and 53 percent residing in suburban or rural areas, reported WGRZ-TV.

Bill Ferris, legislative representative for AARP in New York, said, “Eighty-seven percent of the people that we surveyed think it’s very important that the governor and the legislature make high-speed internet more affordable for people here in New York. Seventy-two percent of people would likely support a candidate who pledged to make the internet more accessible and more affordable to people.”

AARP is interested in making the internet “more affordable and more accessible,” according to Ferris. The survey was meant to “get a snapshot of what’s going on…among the voters in our state and their thoughts about the internet and accessibility and cost,” he added.

WGRZ-TV reported that New York passed a broadband study bill, but Governor Andrew Cuomo has yet to sign it into law. “Based on the governor’s track record and his commitment to making the internet more affordable and more accessible, we would be very surprised that he would veto this bill,” Ferris said, citing Cuomo’s commitment to broadband in the past.

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