Local leaders discuss technology expansion in the Southern Tier

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Regional leaders in politics, business and economic development attended an Infrastructure Summit last week in Binghamton.

Southern Tier 8 hosted the event with a series of speakers sharing best practices regarding broadband internet access, cyber security, flood mitigation and the future of the federally designated battery technology hub.

The summit also featured the announcement of $64 million in fiber optic broadband expansion across the Southern Tier region, specifically in Cortland, Schoharie and Cayuga Counties.

Southern Tier 8 Executive Director Jen Gregory says the ConnectALL program has already expanded access in rural places like Nichols and Sherburne.

"Particularly for our rural communities, we learned that during the pandemic they didn't have access to other services, apps. Just understanding of what larger, more urban centers may have. It's important to invest in that infrastructure so there's some equity built in our most rural communities," said Gregory.

Another grant announced at the event was one to assist local municipalities meet a mandate on cyber security for their water treatment plants.

Gregory says she also wants to work with planners across the eight-county region to apply for federal funds for industrial parks and housing projects.

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Local leaders discuss technology expansion in the Southern Tier

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Justice will ask a judge to force Alphabet's Google to sell off its Chrome internet browser, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the plans. The DOJ will also ask the judge, who ruled in August that Google illegally monopolized the search market, to require measures related to artificial intelligence and its Android smartphone operating system, the report said. Google controls how people view the internet and what ads they see in part through its Chrome browser, which typically uses Google search, gathers information important to Google's ad business, and is estimated to have about two-thirds of the global browser market.