PRESS INQUIRIES
New York City Council Committee on Technology
Int. 1122 of 2024 – A plan for universal, affordable, and equitable access to home internet
Thank you, Chair Gutiérrez and members of the committee, for the opportunity to testify on Int. 1122 of 2024, a bill that would require the city to develop a plan to achieve universal, affordable, and equitable access to home internet throughout the city.
The Partnership supports the goal of Int. 1122 to achieve universal access to home internet service across the city. The main factors that determine the ability to achieve this goal are access and affordability. While some access challenges remain, affordability is the main barrier to universal access.
City government does not need to create incentives for the development and use of network infrastructure that can be used by multiple providers (i.e., open access infrastructure) to ensure access. According to the independent broadband research site Broadband Now, the city already has widespread broadband coverage and enough providers to ensure competition. Instead of focusing on open access infrastructure, the city should coordinate infrastructure development with private sector providers already working to expand access. The city’s existing broadband companies have the resources and expertise to meet the city’s needs and are eager to collaborate with government to encourage increased adoption.
One impediment to access that deserves the city’s focus is the regulatory and bureaucratic processes that have gotten in the way of industry’s efforts to expand coverage. Service providers must obtain approvals from multiple agencies to install or upgrade equipment, delaying implementation of new technology and increasing the cost of services. It is unlikely the city will be able to create universal access without addressing these issues, yet Int. 1122 makes no mention of them.
The Partnership also encourages the city to focus on addressing the affordability issues that, more than coverage, are the biggest impediment to the universal adoption of internet service. Existing programs are making progress in connecting people to coverage. The state requires that internet providers offer a $15 per month option for low-income families. The city’s Big Apple Connect program has brough free internet and basic cable service to more than 300,000 residents of the New York City Housing Authority. These types of public-private partnerships deserve to be the focus of the city’s efforts and funding.
The Partnership for New York City represents the city’s business leaders and largest employers. Our members employ about a half million people in the city and deliver approximately $236 billion in annual economic output. We work with government, labor, and the nonprofit sector to promote economic growth and maintain the city’s prominence as a global center of economic opportunity, upward mobility, and innovation.