After 2.5+ years, the Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) still cannot fully explain why it abandoned Mayor de Blasio’s Internet Master Plan — a plan designed to deliver universal, affordable broadband through public investment — in favor of a program with no long-term vision.

New York, NY (Tuesday April 29, 2025)—At today’s City Council oversight hearing, OTI confirmed what many have feared: the City still has no long-term broadband plan, no infrastructure investment strategy, and no public RFP or contract disclosure for its $38 million-a-year Big Apple Connect program (which is not currently funded in the FY26 budget, let alone baselined). When Council Member Gutiérrez walked OTI through the phases of the Internet Master Plan, it was made clear that many of the ideas they are now touting through the Digital Equity Plan — including the HPD Section 8 pilot with Flume — are identical to elements of the Master Plan they previously delayed and ultimately unceremoniously canceled. 

Facing pointed questions, OTI confirmed:

  • No cost-benefit analysis was ever conducted comparing long-term infrastructure investment to the current BAC model, which will cost the City $2 billion over 20 years — with no public ownership of assets.
  • There are no plans to address affordability for non-NYCHA residents, despite repeatedly claiming they were exploring “expansion.” RAD/PACT developments are not included in their expansion plans, despite previous statements suggesting they exploring expanding Big Apple Connect to these developments as recently as March 2025.
  • There are no plans to invest in new or shared broadband infrastructure beyond what independent state programs have funded; OTI explicitly rejected the premise that public infrastructure is necessary for long-term affordability and said there is no need for new infrastructure.
  • The City intentionally limited its broadband bid to major cable providers, – referring to it as a “minibid” which excluding smaller ISPs with the Cable requirement — and could not explain why cable was required in the RFP in the first place.

“New York City deserves a real plan — not endless excuses,” said Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez, Chair of the Technology Committee. “Instead of building a sustainable future, this administration chose short-term subsidies that leave us dependent on private cable monopolies with a hefty price tag, and no long-term planning. We need to create something that lasts beyond any Council Member, beyond any Mayor, beyond ego. Abandoning the Internet Master Plan without transparency or community input – and with no plan in place – was disingenuous.”

The Council will continue to push for transparency, investment, and a broadband future that puts New Yorkers first.

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Please see relevant timestamps below, this is a selection and you can review the full video here.

Throughout the hearing, Council Member Gutiérrez pressed OTI officials on their failure to provide transparency or long-term planning. At 22:40, you can find questioning about the RFP and Contract process, which has been opaque and with documents withheld for years.  At 48:20, OTI showed no clear intention to expand the program to RAD/PACT developments. From 52:10, they explicitly stated there are no plans to expand Big Apple Connect, despite vague references to “seeing where it benefits.” At 1:01, OTI confirmed that residents would face a sharp increase in payments if the program ends.

At 1:13:20, Gutiérrez asked whether the City had ever conducted a cost-benefit analysis comparing the BAC model to the original Internet Master Plan’s infrastructure strategy — a $2B investment over 20 years. OTI could not produce one. Starting at 1:14:00 for about 5 minutes, she presses on what the future plans are beyond Big Apple Connect.  

At 31:50 and again at 1:18:24, she pushed OTI to explain why the City required cable bundling in its contract — a decision that excluded smaller ISPs. At 1:36:16, she raised concerns about the City’s critiques of the original Internet Master Plan and, at 1:38:30, asked whether an internal evaluation was ever done, going on to express disappointment that no documentation exists to justify the plan’s abandonment.

In her closing remarks at 1:58:12, Gutiérrez called for a broadband strategy that outlives any single administration or political ego. And at 2:00:35, she emphasized the value of the Internet Master Plan and the hundreds of community stakeholders who contributed to it — contrasting that legacy with the current administration’s refusal to act on it.