David Lee reports in The Columbia Paper Rep. Marc Molinaro said conflicting statements about local broadband recently. Molinaro, who represents the 19th Congressional District, said in a press release, “Rural communities can no longer be an afterthought. For too long, rural communities in Columbia County, Greene County, and across Upstate New York have had to deal with significant gaps in internet connectivity and deteriorating infrastructure.” So many people locally lack internet service. But then, June 2 at the Ghent firehouse, Molinaro said, “I want to commend Columbia County and former Congressman Delgado who worked together with Assemblymember Barrett very effectively to move both your planning process forward and investment.... Now we are not in the last mile, but the last hundred feet." The New York State Public Service Commission Broadband Map says Columbia County is 95.9 percent covered. But others say things are not so good. Andrew Ledoux, dean of Student Development at Columbia-Greene Community College said that in a survey conducted last year, 27 percent of students at the college reported that cellular and internet access at home was a barrier for them. Read more about this story in The Upstater.