Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media that the Columbia County Economic Development Corporation on August 30 unveiled a report identifying 12 areas in the county that lack broadband infrastructure. CEDC enlisted the help of MC Fiber Services to conduct the study that pinpointed 100MB capable broadband infrastructure. “About two months ago the [Columbia County] Board of Supervisors asked the CEDC to undertake a study for the county in an effort to identify those unserved areas in the county that still require service,” CEDC President F. Michael Tucker said. The company found 1,110 unserved dwellings in the towns of Ancram, Austerlitz, Canaan, Chatham, Claverack, Copake, Ghent, Hillsdale, Kinderhook, New Lebanon, Stockport, and Stuyvesant. The study determined there were no unserved locations in Hudson, Clermont, Gallatin, Germantown, Greenport, Livingston, or Taghkanic. MC Fiber Services representative Andrew McAdoo said Columbia County is unique because it has several different internet carriers — Consolidated Communications, Verizon, Spectrum, GTel, and MidHudson. The study is a first step in securing federal funding to bring 100 percent broadband coverage to Columbia County, according to the report. Knowing the specific places in the county that lack broadband infrastructure will put the county in a position to better secure federal funding from the NY Broadband Program Office, or directly from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.