[CAnet - news] New York City announces major telecommunications initiative

For more information on this item please visit the CANARIE CA*net 4 Optical
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[Late Friday Mayor Bloomberg's office announced his comprehensive technology
and economic development plan for New York City of which deployment of dark
fiber infrastructure is a key component. A link to the full report is
http://www.nycedc.com/about_us/TelecomPlanMarch2005.pdf.  Thanks for Tim
Lance at NYSERnet for this pointer- BSA]



            

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 22, 2005

No. 152

www.nyc.gov

                        


MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES COMPREHENSIVE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACTION
PLAN


 



Plan Calls for Public/Private Partnerships to Extend Broadband Service to
All Areas of the City


 


Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced a new, comprehensive plan to
improve the City's telecommunications infrastructure and spur the growth of
new telecommunications businesses in the City.  "Telecommunications and
Economic Development in New York City: A Plan for Action," is a result of
the collaborative efforts of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC), the
Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) and the
Department of Small Business Services (SBS), and recommends 21 specific
initiatives the City should undertake over the next two to five years, many
in cooperation with the State and the private sector.  One of the major
recommendations of the plan is for the City to work with existing private
broadband and telecom providers to pilot innovative ways to deploy broadband
services to all areas of the five boroughs and educate businesses about the
potential uses of broadband technology. 

 

"Although New York City residents and businesses have access to an array of
high-speed telecommunications connections and services that no other city
can match, there are specific parts of the City where access is limited,
such as Hunts Point in the Bronx and Sunset Park, Brooklyn," said Mayor
Bloomberg. "If New York City is to maintain its role as a world center of
finance, communications and culture, we have to extend access to broadband
communications to all, as well as continuously improve the reliability of
our telecommunications networks and take advantage of emerging
technologies."

 

Other major recommendations of the report include:

  
Dedicate a portion of Federal funds for rebuilding Lower Manhattan to
strengthening Downtown Manhattan's fiber optic infrastructure and developing
a wireless network to provide back-up capabilities. 
Use City-owned and other public property for infrastructure to support new
wireless technologies. 
Encourage Business Improvement Districts and other local organizations to
promote the use of wireless technologies and improve access to broadband at
the local level. 
Collaborate with universities to support development of new technologies and
business ventures in telecommunications. 
Develop programs to educate small business owners about the basics of
broadband communications and how broadband can improve their businesses. 

 


"Working with the private sector to enhance broadband access in all areas of
the City is in keeping with the Mayor's commitment to support the members of
the industrial and manufacturing sector, the majority of which are small
businesses that do not have adequate high-speed Internet access," said EDC
President Andrew M. Alper. "This plan delineates the steps the City should
take to improve, enhance and ensure network reliability for the entire
City."


 

The plan was drafted with the assistance of a 14-member Telecommunications
Policy Advisory Group that included representatives of the
telecommunications industry, commercial property owners, industry analysts,
academic experts and business and community organizations. The diversity of
the Group contributed to understanding the trends reshaping the
telecommunications sector, and the affects these trends will have on New
York City and how best to understand them.

 

"Continuous improvement to New York telecommunications infrastructure is
vital to the health of our economy," said DoITT Commissioner Gino Menchini.
"It's not a job that City government can do by itself. This plan recognizes
that city and state agencies, the telecommunications sector, the real estate
industry, major not-for-profit institutions and neighborhood organizations
all have a role to play."

 

"In the years ahead, the ability to take advantage of new telecommunications
technologies will be an important factor in the success of small businesses
and in the economic vitality of neighborhoods," said SBS Commissioner Robert
Walsh. "The research we've done and the people we've consulted in the course
of putting this plan together really helped us focus on how we could give
small businesses and low-income neighborhoods a chance to benefit from the
changes that will be taking place."

 

"New York City deserves to have the best wireless communications network
possible," said Ann Barre, Managing Director of the New York Wireless Access
Coalition. "We commend EDC, SBS and DoITT for creating this forward-thinking
plan to ensure that critical infrastructure is in place throughout the City
to support the millions of wireless communications subscribers who need and
depend on reliable wireless service every single day."

 

The members of the Telecommunications Policy Advisory Group are:

  
Robert Atkinson, Columbia University Institute for Tele-Information 
Bill Berkman, Liberty Associated Partners 
Jane Builder, T-Mobile 
Jonathan Bowles, Center for an Urban Future 
Barbara Chang, NPowerNY 
Thomas Dunne, Verizon 
Victoria Galsterer, New York State Public Service Commission 
John Gilbert, Rudin Management 
Franklin Madison, Industrial Technology Assistance Corporation 
Patricia Noonan, Partnership for New York City 
Dan Reingold, Telecommunications analyst 
Julie Richardson, Providence Equity Partners 
Howard Szarfarc, Time Warner Cable 
Kirk Watson, Flushing Community Access Network Corporation 

Appleseed, a New York City-based economic development consulting firm, also
assisted the three agencies in the preparation of the plan. For a copy of
the plan, log onto: http://www.nycedc.com/about_us/TelecomPlanMarch2005.pdf
.

 


-30-


Contacts:          Edward Skyler / Jennifer Falk
(212) 788-2958

Michael Sherman/Jennifer Nelson (EDC)          (212) 312-3523

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