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Broadband for All

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Broadband For All: This package of legislation ensures that all New Yorkers have access to high-speed, high-quality, affordable broadband.

  • Oversight for Quality & Resiliency of Broadband by the PSC (Sen. Ryan/ AM Rozic): This legislation explicitly grants the PSC state oversight authority of broadband and VoIP to ensure quality, resiliency and public safety.
  • Regional Broadband Councils (Sen. May / AM Burke): This legislation establishes regional broadband councils which provide a forum for stakeholders, allowing them to develop broadband plans and apply for state grants in order to further broadband access in their region.
  • Facilitating Access to Deliver Fiber Services: This legislation would give internet service providers the right to access any building where there is or was telephone service for the purpose of upgrading the copper to fiber in order to deploy broadband service to New Yorkers.

 

The Problem

  • Without question, broadband is the essential infrastructure of the 21st century and over the past year, COVID-19 has cast a bright light on this truth. Yet, too many New Yorkers lack access to high speed and affordable internet. In fact, nearly one-fourth of New York State households don’t have home broad- band.
  • During COVID-19, high-speed internet has been a true lifeline allowing parents to work from home, kids to go to remote school, and friends and family to stay in touch.
  • However, more than three decades of deregulation have left policymakers with few tools to require the universal deployment of affordable high-speed networks to all communities.
  • Allowing telecom companies to pick and choose where they wanted to compete meant that some com- munities never got telecom fiber that would compete with cable companies.
  • Much of New York State endures a cable monopoly, with leaves consumers with expensive and inade- quate service.
  • In many rural areas, there is no high-speed service at all—and no mechanism for regulators to force buildout.
  • Too many communities are being left behind--particularly in rural areas where costs are higher, and in upstate cities, where residents tend to be low-income.

 

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