Press Release
U.S. Department of Commerce Invests to Help Bring Broadband Coverage to a Cattaraugus Territory Opportunity Zone
Contact: EDA Public Affairs Department, (202) 482-4085
May 8, 2019
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced that it is investing to help the Seneca Nation of Indians plan for and install broadband fiber throughout the Cattaraugus Territory in western New York. This investment will support a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act designated Opportunity Zone.
“President Trump is committed to helping communities across the nation develop the critical infrastructure they need to support business development and growth,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Dr. John Fleming. “This investment in the Seneca Nation of Indians will help bring high speed Internet services to a designated Opportunity Zone to support small businesses.”
A $290,000 EDA grant to the Seneca Nation of Indians, Chautauqua, New York, will help the tribe develop a strategy to bring broadband to the Cattaraugus Territory. Work will include a preliminary analysis, market survey, a business organization and operation plan, an investment plan, and engineering plans.
The funding announced today goes to a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act designated Opportunity Zone, which provides special incentives for further private sector participation and development. Created by President Donald J. Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Opportunity Zone designations spur economic development by giving tax incentives to investors in economically-distressed communities nationwide.
About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.