County manager Mark Poloncarz said Buffalo has fallen behind in much of the country when it comes to high-speed internet access.

“Right now there is mainly an internet provider – you may wonder if it is real broadband internet – in this neighborhood,” Poloncarz said. “Once Greenlight is able to connect to neighbors in this community, not only will you have true high speed internet, but I guarantee you will see a reduction in the overall cost.”

Greenlight charges $ 50 per month for standard data speeds of 500 megabits per second for downloading and streaming, with the option to upgrade to two gigabits per second. There are no additional taxes, fees or surcharges.

Spectrum Cable charges $ 70 per month for standard stand-alone 100 megabits per second Internet service; plus taxes, fees and surcharges. Spectrum customers who purchase bundled TV, phone, and Internet services can pay less for the Internet.

The pandemic has underscored how vital it is for communities to have reliable high-speed internet, said Mark Murphy, CEO of Greenlight.

“I think the other thing we’ve learned is that the more people in the home using multiple devices at the same time, the more important it is to have a fast internet channel to be able to respond to all of these. application needs, ”he said.

The West Side and Elmwood Village neighborhoods were chosen for the first round of development because of the number of residents who requested it on the company’s website, Greenlight said. The company will initially focus on high-density neighborhoods rather than the more remote rural areas of western New York.