Jim Becker, Otsego County Broadband

Contractor, Wins Leadership Award

ALBANY– Jim Becker, president of Middleburgh Telephone Co., which will be installing Otsego County’s new broadband system in 2016, won the Extraordinary Broadband Leadership Award at the third annual New York State Broadband Summit in Albany.

The Broadband Summit brought together more than 350 broadband stakeholders from New York and around the country to forge partnerships, discuss policy issues related to broadband deployment and adoption, and to hear best practices from nationally recognized broadband leaders and elected officials.

The Extraordinary Broadband Leadership Award is presented to an individual or company that has provided a major influence on the direction and success of broadband development in New York State.  This year’s recipient was MIDTEL’s own, Jim Becker.

Jim served as President and CEO of ION, a statewide fiber network developed by a consortium of Independent Telephone Companies, including MIDTEL, from 2006 through 2013.  Jim is also currently the president of INOC Datacenters, a datacenter and broadband services company with two locations in Albany.

Becker was selected for this prestigious award as being instrumental in bringing several large projects to fruition in order to expand broadband services to many rural areas in New York State.  Jim spearheaded ION’s $40 million dollar project to bring broadband services to rural areas with federally funded programs.

MIDTEL is working in Schoharie County’s, as well as Otsego, to expand broadband access to unserved and underserved areas.  Jim has also been a valuable source of information and guidance to the state Broadband Program Office and the New York State Telecommunications Association, where he serves as chairman.