LIBERTY, N.Y. – With oversized orange scissors in hand, Sullivan County officials and Archtop Fiber representatives cut a bright orange ribbon on Friday to mark high-speed fiber internet coming to Liberty.
Liberty is one of the first municipalities to connect to Sullivan County’s $30 million broadband infrastructure program, the largest broadband investment the county has ever made.
Shawn Beqaj, founder and chief development officer at Archtop Fiber, says kicking off the first installation for residents is an emotional moment.
“[Internet] allows them to do things that they couldn’t do before you got there: banking, education, research, personal growth,” said Beqaj. “It feels terrific.”
Roughly 80 households are now connected to the network, according to Archtop Fiber, the project’s internet provider. The broadband expansion aims to connect more than 22,000 homes and businesses across Sullivan County.
Archtop Fiber, a regional fiber internet and phone service provider across the Mid-Hudson Valley region, broke ground on the countywide project in June 2025. Funded through the state’s ConnectALL program, Sullivan County must complete the project by December 31.
READ: Sullivan County Rolls Out $30M Plan to Connect Thousands of Homes to High-Speed Internet
Lorne Green, the county’s Chief Information Officer, said the project includes buried fiber infrastructure that makes the network more resilient during storm weather and other emergencies. Archtop Fiber plans to deploy more than 220 miles of fiber – an effort that will enhance 12 county emergency communications towers to reach areas underserved by fiber.
“ Access to high-speed internet’s no longer a luxury. It’s essential to how people live, work, learn, access healthcare, and travel,” said Green. “ The investment will fundamentally change daily life in Sullivan County and make our communities even more attractive for future residents, remote workers, and businesses looking to grow here.
But the project hasn’t come without challenges. This past winter’s subfreezing temperatures made it nearly impossible some days to get equipment through the county’s rocky terrain, and some permits took longer than expected. “It’s a big, complex build in a very rural part of the state,” said Beqaj.
Sullivan County Legislator Matt McPhilips grew up in Parksville on an old dairy farm without reliable internet. He says expanded fiber will be a game-changer for rural residents.
“Until I went to college, I really didn’t have access to any type of broadband internet,” said McPhillips. “Just being able to experience what a difference that was for me when I did get to college, and you know, a lot of my friends there obviously thought I was crazy… to think that there still are a significant amount of residents that are in that position now, I think this is huge to be able to help them out.”
Residents can visit connectsullivan.com to see if their home will be covered by the Archtop Fiber service expansion.
Image: Sullivan County officials and Archtop Fiber representatives cut a bright orange ribbon on May 8 to mark high-speed fiber internet coming to Liberty, New York. (Photo Credit: Kimberly Izar)