Michael Ryan in the Windham Journal reports that in Lexington communities such as Spruceton Valley and The Notch, an infamous stretch of Route 42 squeezed between the mountains, internet and cell phone access can be non-existant. A large crowd of residents and public officials gathered April 18 to see if they could get a slice of the state's $500 million broadband plan sent to rural, mountainous Greene County. The Long Term Recovery Plan, set for the area after Hurricane Irene, put improved communications at the top of a priority list of improvements, according to Ryan's story. The Lexington Broadband Initiative, headed by resident Bonnie Blader, at the meeting introduced representatives of the Margaretville Telephone Company (MTC), who want to partner with the town for the grant money to improve service locally. The local group is working now in anticipation of a grant application process that is expected to be announced in June. The Capital Region Economic Development Council will rank and score the applications. “They have a regional strategy in mind and the two counties identified with the largest need are Greene and Columbia counties,” Greene County Economic Development, Tourism and Planning director Warren Hart said. Read the full story in the Windham Journal.