Others towers will be placed atop the water tower in Burke, at the state Department of Corrections prison at Chateaugay and at other sites as the service grows.

"This will be a model for the rest of the state to develop regional partnerships," West said, adding that TAC has received $7.6 million to create the economic-development focused rural-pilot program.

It will connect the region's hospitals and colleges with other health-care providers and educational sources and could spark other initiatives such as wider markets for farmers who might not be aware of or take advantage of Internet-based opportunities.

"We hope to have that in position by early 2009," she said.

Green said the broadband service will meld with the proposed $20 million natural-gas pipeline that St. Lawrence Gas hopes to extend into northern Franklin County beginning next year.

"We've got the gas pipeline on one side of the county and the information pipeline on the other," he said.

draymo@pressrepublican.com