Eliot and Silda Wall Spitzer are announcing the formation of a new council to study ways to deliver high speed internet services to everyone in New York State. The announcement will happen at 9am and there is a webcast of it available here.
What, if anything, this means for the Brodsky Bill is unclear. From an emailed press release:
GOVERNOR ELIOT SPITZER AND FIRST LADY SILDA WALL SPITZER LAUNCH EFFORT TO ENSURE AFFORDABLE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET FOR EVERY NEW YORKER
State Forms Broadband Council to Support Key Component of "I Live NY" Initiative
Governor Eliot Spitzer and First Lady Silda Wall Spitzer today announced the formation of the New York State Council for Universal Broadband, which is charged with developing strategies to ensure every New Yorker has access to affordable, high-speed internet service. Additionally, a Request for Proposal will be released on Friday, December 7th, to begin the process of distributing funds that were allocated in this year's budget for competitive grants to research, design and implement accessible Internet for underserved areas of New York. Governor Spitzer made the announcement at the New York Farm Bureau's Annual Meeting, held this year at the Niagara Falls Convention Center.
Increased access to broadband service combined with digital literacy programs can dramatically improve social, cultural and educational opportunities that ultimately lead to increased job creation and economic development. This Universal Broadband initiative is a key component of the First Lady's I Live New York initiative aimed at attracting and retaining New York's next generation.
"As we build an Innovation Economy we must make New York the most connected and technologically advanced place to live and do business in the world," said Governor Spitzer. "Internet access is no longer a luxury. We must implement a strategy that leads to every New Yorker having access to affordable, high-speed Internet so that they may take advantage of the economic, social and cultural opportunities it provides."
Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson said: "This new investment in the expansion of high speed internet access for our neglected urban and rural communities both narrows the digital divide and also moves us towards closing a long standing economic one. I am pleased that minority and women-owned enterprises, which have not gotten their fair shake at doing business with the state, will be required to take part in this work to make high speed internet available to more New Yorkers. The Governor and the First Lady, working together, are taking a significant step forward for real economic justice."
First Lady Silda Wall Spitzer said: "Developing innovative strategies and collaborative partnerships is at the core of our I Live New York initiative. At our September 18th summit, young people identified access to digital services as a key determinant in their decisions of where to live and work. I'm so pleased Dr. Mayberry-Stewart and the Broadband Council have taken the lead to expand broadband service across our state. Universal and affordable access to the tools of the 21st Century is paramount to keeping our next generation in New York and for our state's competitiveness on the global stage."
John Lincoln, President of New York Farm Bureau, said: "Farm Bureau has long recognized the need for broadband access in rural areas, where most of our members do business. Broadband is an essential business tool that our farmers require to compete in a global economy. We are grateful that Governor Spitzer is taking this initiative as part of a bigger effort to revitalize the Upstate economy."
More, including the members of the new council, on the flip...
There was yet another conference about upstate economic development yesterday. It was the last in a series of meetings and it apears they discussed pretty much what they discuss at all of these things. R&D tax credits, private capital for entrepreneurship. Blah, blah, blah.
But Gundersen and Foye also talked about some of upstate's infrastructure needs, from improved highways and wider access to broadband Internet connections to better air and rail service.
"Broadband is perhaps the best tool we have to connect our communities across upstate," Gundersen said.
Bingo. It's not as sexy (or corrupt) as yet another Empire Zone, but it's something that will actually work and impact the lives of regular folks.
Want to begin the revitalization of the economy upstate?
Remember my post about Net Neutrality and the Brodsky Bill?
Net Neutrality is the realization of the First Amendment, except on the digital plane. Remember, Free Speech is government regulation. Imagine the ridiculousness of claiming that we don't need the Bill of Rights, because "the market will sort it out". Same deal with Net Neutrality.
In case the term Net Neutrality confuses you, Public Knowledge has crafted a quick three minute clip explaining the idea in an elegant and clean manner.
Really, watch it. It'll only take less than three minutes, and explains the whole deal very well.
(Sayhar has written a couple of great pieces about the Brodsky bill and net neutrality over at Rochester Turning. I asked if he would cross post and he has agreed. Thanks, Sayhar. - promoted by phillip anderson)
Most of the bill is concerned with giving great cheap broadband to most every New Yorker. I know it's a bit cliched to say it, but this really could be a modern-day analogue to the Erie Canal. Like the Erie Canal, however, it has to be used for the public good, and not for corporate short-sighted interest.
To that end, the bill also has Net Neutrality provisions. Let those good folks at the Save The Internet Coalition explain the concept:
National ISPs (like Verizon) can block your access to national sites (like Google), and stop any exciting new entrepreneur that threatens their grip on power.
Net Neutrality can affect you personally. Without it, there is no way to stop a rich local businessman from bribing roadrunner into censoring your competing website. For that matter, if we piss off the local Republican Party too much, they could bribe local ISPs to stop you all from accessing Rochester Turning.
In a short article in The New York Times, you'll find a snapshot of New York State's biggest challenge: the withering of an entire region, upstate New York, by a slow process of industrial decline, economic stagnation and, flowing from that, population loss.
Buffalo, the state’s second-largest city, lost 16,114 residents, or 6 percent of its population. Rochester, the third-largest city, lost 10,352 residents, or 5 percent. Yonkers, the fourth-largest city, grew by 1 percent, or 1,524 residents. Syracuse, the fifth-largest city, lost 5,574 residents, or 4 percent.
That kind of population loss normally occurs only in wartime. By way of illustration: if New York City had lost six percent of its population of eight million since 2000, that would work out to a bit less than half a million, a catastrophic loss. That's what's happening upstate.
I sat in on Eric Massa's weekly blogger conference call this morning and he greeted me with words of strong support for our effort to urge the Governor to support the Telecom Reform Act. The topic of this week's call was economic renewal in western New York and what he plans to do to help foster such a renewal. I think it goes without saying that any plan to spur the long depressed economy out there must surely include bringing broadband services to those populations. That said, let's not forget that all that fiber optic cable has to be laid and installed by real people, with real skills. The first wave of job creation to come from implementing Brodsky's bill will come from the very work of building out that much needed infrastructure and there is much, much work to be done.
The USA trails other industrialized nations in high-speed Internet access and may never catch up unless quick action is taken by public-policymakers, a report commissioned by the Communications Workers of America warns.
The median U.S. download speed now is 1.97 megabits per second - a fraction of the 61 megabits per second enjoyed by consumers in Japan, says the report released Monday. Other speedy countries include South Korea (median 45 megabits), France (17 megabits) and Canada (7 megabits).
"We have pathetic speeds compared to the rest of the world," CWA President Larry Cohen says. "People don't pay attention to the fact that the country that started the commercial Internet is falling woefully behind."
It's time for New York to take the lead. If you want broadband built out to a minimum of 85% of the state, if you want strong net neutrality protections, if you want cheaper rates for cable through real competition and if you want to do something real and concrete to breathe new life into the upstate economy, Please Call the Governor and ask him to support Assemblyman Brodsky's Telecommunications Reform Act.
Person I spoke with said this was not one of the issues they were currently tracking.
The governor's office isn't tracking upstate economic renewal? or internet freedom? or the most significant reform of telecom law in New York ever?
It is imperative that we put this issue on Mr. Spitzer's radar. If you haven't yet done so, Please Call The Governor and ask him to support the bill. You can reach his office at 518-474-8390.
If they tell you they aren't tracking this, tell them they should start!
(Bumped. Have YOU called the Governor yet? - promoted by phillip anderson)
The Legislature left Albany last week with much unfinished business. The Governor issued a statement expressing his disappointment with lawmakers for so abruptly abandoning a number of viatl pieces of legislation before leaving for home.
This record is totally unacceptable.
New Yorkers expect and deserve dedicated and aggressive action to revive the upstate economy and reform state government.
...
In the days and weeks ahead, I will be traveling the state to remind lawmakers of their obligation to address pressing issues.
Mr. Spitzer lists many of the issues left unresolved by the legislature including Wicks law reform, paid family leave and power plant siting legislation. But, one of the most significant bills introduced in Albany in years didn't seem to make his list, Assemblyman Brodsky's Telecommunications Reform Act of 2007, a bill that would certainly qualify as "dedicated and aggressive action to revive the upstate economy" by requiring the buildout of high speed broadband infrastructure to a minimum of 85% of the state, something desperately needed by under served and economically depressed communities upstate. It would also protect net neutrality, bring cheaper cable and telephone rates through increased competition and allow New York to once again be a progressive, innovative model for other states to follow.
Quite a coalition of support has coalesced around the bill since its introduction including NYS Rural Advocates, NYPIRG, Common Cause, Jobs With Justice, Citizen Action, Rural Opportunities Inc, New York State Alliance for Retired Americans, Consumers Union and ACORN among others. Much of the credit for assembling this coalition goes tp Pete Sikora at the Communications Workers of America who has done a fantastic job of building support for the bill against its only known opponents, namely the cable companies and Verizon (and by extension, Joe Bruno and the Republican state Senators who represent those upstate New Yorkers who stand to benefit most from passage of the bill.)
I've written about the bill here several times and want to explain again why I and so many others believe it to be the "gold standard" in state telecom legislation (or as Pete Sikora put it, "the best thing since sliced bread") but first I want to ask you to do something to get this bill back on the governor's radar. Please call Mr. Spitzer's office and ask him to support this bill. You can reach his office at 518-474-8390.
We know that the Governor has a long history of supporting consumers over corporations. He also campaigned on expanding broadband infrastructure to underserved upstate communities and has often expressed his vocal support for net neutrality such as when he wrote to Senator Ted Stevens (.pdf) last year:
Net neutrality embodies the principle of open access and nondiscriminatory treatment of all internet users and content providers. Net neutrality has made the internet a powerful promoter of public discourse and commercial exchange, affording to users throughout all parts of the nation and the world and unlimited array of information, news, opinion and entertainment. Net neutrality has also fostered robust competition by content providers, without regard to ownership of the backbone facilities over which Internet traffic travels.
We need to let the Governor know that not only do we want what this bill provides (and he has repeatedly advocated for) but that there is a constituency of support for him when he takes on this fight. Call him at 518-474-8390 and ask him to support this bill.
"Wild" Bill Hammond of the New York Daily News writes about Assemblyman Brodsky's Telecommunications Reform Act this morning. Though he really only focuses on pieces of the bill, he does come out strongly in favor of the legislation. He also rightly asks the Governor to finally start paying attention and correctly identifies those standing in the way of passing Brodsky's bill.
Brodsky's bill would cut to the chase, authorizing state officials to sign a statewide franchise for cable TV service. In areas where the fiberoptic lines have been laid, Verizon could jump into the cable market almost overnight.
But the cable industry, desperate to keep its captive audience, is using all of its considerable influence in Albany to block reform. Unless Gov. Spitzer intervenes, consumers could well lose this battle - and be forced to keep paying through the nose for lousy service.
The bill enjoys strong support from the telephone workers union - eager to preserve 25,000 jobs at Verizon - as well as the major consumer groups.
But it's running into stiff resistance. The cable companies are squawking that the bill is unfair, since they had to negotiate dozens upon dozens of franchises and Verizon won't have to - neglecting to mention that they are free to offer Internet-based phone service that piggybacks on Verizon's network. Meanwhile, Mayor Bloomberg and other local officials are reluctant to transfer their franchising authority to the state. Even Verizon is objecting to Brodsky's bill because of strings he has attached.
While Albany bickers, New York consumers continue to get shafted. Spitzer must break the logjam and forge a compromise that makes the bill workable for both Verizon and local officials.
I'm just glad this bill is finally beginning to get some ink.
Assemblyman Brodsky's Telecommunications Reform Act cleared its first major hurdle yesterday with flying colors. The committee vote wasn't even close as Pete Sikora tells us:
big win!
The bill passed out of committee with only 4 no votes. The only democratic (majority) party assemblymember "no" was Carl Heastie from the Bronx. There were - I think - 18 yes votes. The other no votes were from the republican (minority) party assemblymembers. Assemblymember Molinaro voted yes. That's a slam dunk for our side.
Thanks for everyone's calls... now we're onto the codes committee in the Assembly!
Obviously, in addition to the Assembly, we need the Senate to move the bill and the Governor to sign it, so this is very much an uphill battle. But a really good day.
Also, we added 5 more co-sponsors today. I'm too tired to count up again, but I believe that puts us at 71 majority party sponsors in the Assembly - that's a very large number for any bill and shows the breadth of support in the Assembly.
In the Senate, we now have 4 sponsors total, and hopefully that support will go up.
In the comments to Pete Sikora's All Together Now: Pass and Sign the Telecom Reform Act, michael posted a link to some video of the Albany press conference put together by CWA, NYPIRG, Common Cause and others in support of Assemblyman Brodsky's Telecommunications Reform Act. The video was produced by the Manhattan Neighborhood Network and is some of the only evidence I have found that this presser even happened. It was almost as if this event happened in a vacuum. The lack of attention being paid to this bill by the media, not to mention the Governor, is pretty disheartening. Thanks to MNN for covering this and for sharing.
Video of the press conference presenting the Omnibus Telecommunications Reform Act of 2007 (A3980B). This state-wide video franchise bill and broadband initiative bill is sponsored by Assemblyman Brodsky with the support of the CWA. The press conference took place in Albany, NY on May 15th, 2007.
Read the A 3980B bill online: http://assembly.stat.... There is a companion bill in the Senate (S 5124).
Video produced by Manhattan Neighborhood Network: http://mnn.org.
I'm working on a long piece about Assemblyman Brodsky's Tellecommunications Reform Act that I hope to have up later today, but I just ran across this utterly clueless op-ed in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle that I just can't let slide. Though I will give the D&C credit for writing about the issue at all given the serious dearth of coverage statewide, the piece they published Wednesday is a train wreck. They start strong with a perfect title, Hold telecom hearings, Public knows too little about major reform legislation, it ends as a muddled, clueless mess.
A key feature of the bill is the abolition of municipal cable franchises, money from which supports local public-access channels, to be replaced by statewide franchises awarded by the PSC. This would benefit latecomers to the cable game, particularly Verizon, which, to compete with Time-Warner and others, now have to go head to head in localities.
Local franchises should stay. The PSC has enough on its plate with energy deregulation. It doesn't need a cable-franchising job as well. Cable competition is needed. But Verizon should wade in on the local level rather than trying to change the rules mid-game. Other bill features - ensuring the entire state has online services and "neutral" Web access - are sound. But they can be dealt with apart from franchising.
First, the statewide video franchise is the is the juicy carrot dangled in front of the telecoms to entice them to fulfill the other parts of the bill, namely to build out their high speed infrastructure to 85% percent of the state. This is actually very important to many communities upstate, including, I wuld assume, many of the D&C's readers.
Second, local municipalities won't be losing franchise funds. The bill sends them the maximum allowed under federal law, 5%. In fact, many municipalities will see their franchise revenues actually increase.
Finally, I want to see this bill kept whole. All of these ingredients work together to motivate different stakeholders. The telecoms get their statewide video franchise. Underserved communities get broadband. Municipalities get moolah. Netizens get net neutrality. Breaking this bill apart will kill it.
