SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND, STEFANIK ANNOUNCE, AFTER THEIR PUSH, FCC WILL GRANT CRITICAL WAIVER ALLOWING FOR WESTELCOM TO MAINTAIN BROADBAND SERVICES TO THE NORTH COUNRTY

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand and Representative Elise Stefanik successfully pushed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to grant a limited waiver petition to allow Westelcom to continue to operate as a rural telecommunications provider. Westelcom, a leader in the deployment of fiber-based broadband in the North Country, met the FCC’s overall goals of expanding broadband deployment in rural areas but needed a waiver that would protect critical funding the company needs to continue to provide the infrastructure for expanded rural telehealth medicine.