This project was initiated in 2000 by the Industrial Development Agencies in the three counties and the Town of Plattsburgh (the "Consortium"), and was based on the premise that there was a need for affordable broadband access throughout the three counties and that the existing providers were not presently meeting the demand because they could not justify the capital investment due to our rural area. The Consortium commissioned a study by Shpigler Group, which determined that a publicly created network would be financially viable. Their study projected that $120 million in economic benefit would result over ten years, significantly enhancing business development in the tri-county region. The study documented that there was limited affordable broadband access throughout the project area, not only for business and economic development, but for educational, governmental, and health care providers as well. Existing services were costly to the user due to a lack of competition and they were unlikely to grow or expand. Further, there was a significant lack of connectivity between our rural area and beyond. Enormous bandwidth is available in fiber running along Interstate 87. The consortium commissioned an engineering study by XIT Telecom that recommended a 500-mile fiber optic network, at a cost of $13-15 million in 2003 dollars.

In 2003, a Task Force was formed, including the Consortium members, SUNY Plattsburgh, Northeast Regional Information Center (BOCES), and the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce to take the project to the next level. The first goal of the Task Force was to secure start up funding and create an open, community-based partnership to include: SUNY Plattsburgh, the SUNY Research Foundation, local BOCES and School Districts, IDA's, municipalities, non-profit organizations, and businesses, to further develop and implement the project. Participating organizations provided representatives to a CBN Connect Advisory Council, created in 2005.

In 2007-08, a comprehensive Needs Analysis and Conceptual Design was conducted, which reinforced the need for expanded broadband coverage and described the opportunities and benefits that improved broadband penetration would likely create.  This study was conducted with XIT Telecom and Stratum Broadband.  It estimated that total build out of the network would cost in the range of $35 - $55 million.