MASSENA -- More than 200 businesses in Massena now have 1 gigbyte-per-second internet access, now that Slic Network Solutions has completed expansions and upgrades in the village, according to a news release from Mayor Tim Currier.

The project upgraded Slic’s 7.5-mile network and extended it two extra miles to the St. Lawrence Centre. Currier said there are now 265 businesses in the village with the connection, and Massena is the first North Country community to offer that speed to that many customers, according to Currier.

The service uses a pure fiber optic, which allows more users to go online at the same time without slowing down the connection, Currier said.

The expansion was paid for in large part using grant funds through the Northern Border Regional Commission, a federal agency, which covered 80 percent. of the costs. Slic, the Village and other partners such as Massena Electric Department, Massena Memorial Hospital and the Town of Massena paid for the remaining 20 percent, Currier said.

“Businesses need internet service, and ultra-fast internet access is a competitive advantage for our region,” Currier said in a prepared statement. “Our partnership with Slic, will allow businesses in the Village and those on the way to and located at the mall access the internet at the fastest speeds available.”

“As a long-term partner with the Village of Massena, Slic was pleased to work with Mayor Tim Currier on this project,” Slic chief operations officer Kevin Lynch said in a prepared statement from Currier’s office. “Now that the work is complete, Massena businesses have access to nation-leading broadband speeds, a key enabler for growth and economic sustainability.”