HARTWICK – Otsego Electric Cooperative will be receiving $3.9 million from New York State to build a fiber-to-the-home project to provide 1,750 co-op members access to a state-of-the-art network, the company announced today.

Service will be available at speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second with no data limits sometime in the latter part of 2017. The co-op will offer Internet access and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service initially. This will be beneficial to local businesses because a small business voip can help improve communication and customer outreach.

This grant will not cover the entire service area, but plans are to bid for another grant when the State announces its next phase of funding.

“Our members will be able to access new education technology, e-commerce, and many other opportunities,” said Jim Foote, director of technology and member solutions. “Service might also be offered to residences and businesses that are not served by OEC if the fiber network is near or adjacent to these properties.”

Members with questions may call 293-6622.