RENSSELAERVILLE — A town telecommunications committee is working to bring better Internet access, cellular phone reception, and emergency communication to this rural community.
"We’re only partway through the project," said Frederick Urrutia, a member of the Rensselaerville Telecommunications Committee.
"The population’s disadvantaged by not having the technology. Ten years ago, there was a big concern at the federal level that poor people in inner cities and urban areas are disadvantaged. They don’t have access to the Internet, while middle-class people and upper-class people do.
"Today, the inner cities are better served by broadband"and it’s rural America, which is a lot of middle class. Vast geographies have no access, and we’ve become the disadvantaged population so we’ve got to do something about it," Urrutia said.

Located in the southwestern corner of Albany County and nearly 25 minutes from Albany, this rural town has sporadic, often no cell phone reception. Many are unable to access the Internet, and the town is serviced by multiple phone companies and has many phone exchanges.

A recent federal law is requiring cellular phone companies to provide better coverage in rural areas.
The Federal Communications Commission, said Urrutia, "has told the cell companies that, in order to retain your franchises, you have to provide better coverage to tier three," Urrutia said. Tier one is urban, tier two is suburban, and tier three is rural.
The committee has met with many representatives of communications companies. It recently sent out a six-question survey to town residents, asking to what degree individuals feel disadvantaged by not having access to high-speed Internet, whether they would subscribe to Internet access if it were available, how much they would be willing to pay for the service, and how important they feel it is to improve communication between public safety agencies.

The questionnaire also asks whether residents support additional towers within the town. Urrutia, who lives near Crystal Lake, and runs his business, Broadband Technologies, from his home, has suggested the 100-foot tall personal windmill tower on his property as a site for wireless access.

Another defunct tower that has been considered is located on Pond Hill Road. The tower, which is between 260 and 280 feet tall, is owned by American Tower. It has been out of service for many years, Urrutia said.
"That tower would put a good signal to Schoharie County and Albany County," he said.

Better cellular coverage is important for public safety, such as calling for roadside assistance, reporting accidents, and medical emergencies, he said.
"There’s a public opinion that says, ‘We’d like access to this stuff.’ If you have a stroke or a heart attack or you break down"you can’t reach the EMS guys. You can’t get 911," he said.
"The converse is somebody’s sick or there’s a fire, and a fireman doesn’t even know about it because their communications is poor and his pager doesn’t work," he said.

In its survey, the committee points to benefits of a high-speed Internet connection: faster downloading of attachments, music, and videos; telecommuting; and access to TV and newspapers.

Though the deadline for submitting the surveys has passed, the committee is still accepting them, Urrutia said.

Last year, as the land-use committee worked on developing a master plan for the town, a survey was sent out and visioning workshops were held as part of the process.

Results from the surveys and workshops showed many residents thought one of the most negative aspects of life in Rensselaerville is its poor communications.

Urrutia, who moved to Rensselaerville from California with his wife to retire, said he may have to move — to Troy or back to California — because he’s disadvantaged in Rensselaerville.
"I’m committed to living here, and I’m working my ass off to change the situation," he said.