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Schumer hopes feds will name Syracuse a 'tech hub'

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks at JMA Wireless in Syracuse Monday January 24, 2022
City of Syracuse
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks at JMA Wireless in Syracuse Monday January 24, 2022

Federal officials were in Syracuse Monday, touting the ways the government can help central New York become a national tech hub, making it eligible for a $100 million investment.

Standing above JMA Wireless’s cavernous new facility in Syracuse, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) mused how federal programs will help cement Syracuse as a leader in 5G technology.

"We’ve always been looking for industries that we can not only benefit from, but can really excel in, and grow and grow and grow,” said Schumer. “And 5G is growing. And all this money, and the fact we aren’t going to buy it from overseas anymore means this can make Syracuse the 5G capitol of the United States."

JMA is the only U.S-owned 5G business in the country, and Schumer said it will benefit from the recently passed infrastructure legislation, as well as the proposed Innovation and Competition Act.

“It invests in new cutting edge technologies, so China and other countries don’t get ahead of us on this cutting edge stuff, because they’re investing a lot of money,” he said. “And one of the areas the investment is in is 5G.”

Schumer brought along Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves, who said programs like this that offer government funds to U.S. based companies fits into an overarching goal of the Biden Administration.

"We know that the U.S. can outcompete in the world,” said Graves. “We just have to do the hard work to make sure the ground is tilled, so when companies make these investments, they are going to actually bear fruit and create opportunities for decades to come."

Ellen produces news reports and features related to events that occur in the greater Syracuse area and throughout Onondaga County. Her reports are heard regularly in regional updates in Morning Edition and All Things Considered.