In 2022, Village of Sherburne Mayor Bill Acee, along with state and local officials, cut a ribbon marking the municipality’s $1 billion ConnectALL initiative, bringing high speed internet access to the area. (Photo by Tyler Murphy)

SHERBURNE – The Village of Sherburne, in tandem with the townships of Sherburne and Columbus, is in the midst of a years-long endeavor to broaden its municipal internet footprint across northeastern Chenango County.

Sherburne Connect, a subsidiary of Sherburne Electric, is undertaking efforts to expand its optic fiber to unserved areas of the Sherburne township, as well as the entirety of the neighboring Town of Columbus. The move will give residents and businesses in the two townships further access to high speed internet and generate more competition among private internet service providers.

According to Sherburne Mayor Bill Acee, the project will offer lower internet payments while also giving Sherburne and Columbus a leg-up in retaining and attracting new businesses.

“Once you have good internet, you can almost get anything you want now,” said Acee. “The world is changing fast with AI. Things will be very internet driven.”

Sherburne Connect already offers a municipal open-access internet line in areas covered by Sherburne Electric. It’s the only one of its kind this side of the Rocky Mountains. Roughly 800 subscribers pay the village a $30 monthly use fee and, since the line is unrestricted, they’re able to choose their own internet service provider – typically whichever company utilizes Sherburne lines and offers the best deal at the lowest rate.

Acee said the expansion project will allow the same municipal internet services to hundreds more households in Columbus and Sherburne in the coming year.