John Cropley reports in The Daily Gazette that the Federal Communications Commission voted for $170 million to increase high-speed internet access in rural areas of upstate New York Jan. 26. Applicants for the funds will be selected through New York’s New NY Broadband Program. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand said they opposed the FCC’s plan to switch the money to other states after Verizon said they did not want the allocation in 2015. “So with today’s announcement, other broadband companies in upstate will now have the opportunity to work with the state in order to bid on this funding to improve upstate’s broadband access,” Schumer said in a prepared statement. Gov. Andrew Cuomo previously promised an addition $500 million for the New NY Broadband Program. Read the full story in The Daily Gazette.