Doug and Betty Nichols and their family, own and operate Nichols Farm, on Route 243, in Freedom, were among the first residents in Cattaraugus County to get a new Internet service that is microwave-based.
Richard Zink, executive director of Southern Tier West, joined Crystal Abers, Director of the Cattaraugus County Department of Economic Development, Planning and Tourism, to inspect the farm’s newly installed Air-MAX internet system which connects via microwave to a tower in Centerville, just over the Allegany County line. It has a line-of-sight range of about 7 miles.
Betty Nichols said “The Internet’s a necessity for the farm. We have programs to manage our planting and spreading manure via computer. The program can signal when too much seed is being planted for the field conditions”. New GPS technology, with moisture sensors across their fields, can tell exactly how much rain fell on each field the day before. This can help determine where to cut hay or plow on a given day without having to take equipment to the field.
Southern Tier Wireless of Rushford has been working with the Southern Tier West Regional Planning and Development Board, to develop broadband systems in Cattaraugus and Allegany counties.
Southern Tier West has been applying for grants and making partnerships with Internet providers like Southern Tier Wireless and Dunkirk-Fredonia Telephone Co., which is beginning to offer similar services in the northwest area of Cattaraugus County.
Cattaraugus County Department of Economic Development, Planning and Tourism have also contributed to the effort to bring broadband services to rural areas. The three-county ION fiber-optic cable that passes through Little Valley will provide the basis for additional services to the center of the county, including Little Valley, Mansfield and Otto. Crystal Abers stated that “we’re looking for more funding sources and Officials have tried to utilize space in existing towers to reduce start-up costs.
Richard Zink hopes that within five years most areas of Cattaraugus County will have high-speed access. Some areas without line-of-sight access will still not be able to receive it unless a repeater tower is built.
