Tell the NYS Legislature to pass our Broadband Data Collection Bill

The NYS Legislature is headed back to Albany and we need all hands on deck!

Click here to tell your Assemblymember to pass our Broadband Data Collection bill!As COVID-19 has moved much of our lives online, the importance of access to universal, high-speed, affordable broadband has never been clearer. The pandemic has exacerbated the disadvantages faced by New Yorkers who already suffered from lack of or limited broadband service, from unaffordable prices, or from slow speeds and low-quality service.

While the New York State Broadband Program Office’s website states that there is virtually universal broadband access in the state, we know that this claim is not true. The state’s broadband maps simply do not have the detailed information needed to determine exactly where and why hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers cannot obtain high-speed, affordable broadband. In order to better understand the problem, our bill would require the Public Service Commission to collect more accurate data to assess who has and does not have access to affordable broadband. Accurate broadband mapping is a needed first step in closing the digital divide-- and potentially creating more work for CWA members to hook up unserved or underserved New Yorkers.

Take two minutes to email your NYS legislators to urge them to pass our Broadband Data Collection bill (A.6679/S.5696). (The link contains a sample email and will let you know who your Legislators are. All you have to do is enter your name and address.)

New Yorkers deserve affordable, high-quality broadband and passing this bill is a vital first step towards making that a reality. We recently heard the NYS Legislature is planning to reconvene on July 20th, so we have a chance for this bill to pass.

In unity,
Dennis Trainor
Vice President, CWA District 1