{"id":250,"date":"2024-11-14T17:54:33","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T17:54:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/jennifer-gutierrez\/?p=250"},"modified":"2024-12-18T20:06:32","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T20:06:32","slug":"council-jennifer-gutierrez-legislation-internet-master-high-speed-internet-to-new-yorkers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/jennifer-gutierrez\/2024\/11\/14\/council-jennifer-gutierrez-legislation-internet-master-high-speed-internet-to-new-yorkers\/","title":{"rendered":"COUNCIL MEMBER JENNIFER GUTI\u00c9RREZ INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO REESTABLISH INTERNET MASTER PLAN &amp; BRING HIGH-SPEED INTERNET TO ALL NEW YORKERS"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>NYC hasn\u2019t had comprehensive plan to increase&nbsp;internet access since Mayor Adams killed&nbsp;popular plan in 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>New York (November 14, 2024) \u2013 Council Member Jennifer Guti\u00e9rrez, Chair of the Committee on Technology, will introduce legislation next week at the November 21st, 2024, Stated meeting aimed at reviving the transformative Internet Master Plan, a blueprint to provide universal, affordable, and equitable broadband access to all New Yorkers.<\/p>\n<p>Originally launched in 2020, the Internet Master Plan set out to give broadband access to the over 1.5 million New Yorkers who lack reliable internet. Despite initial success and broad support from community and government stakeholders, Mayor Eric Adams discontinued the program in 2022 in favor of the more limited Big Apple Connect initiative.<\/p>\n<p>This inaction from Mayor Adams sparked strong criticism from digital equity advocates, community groups, and members of the City Council\u2019s technology committee, who argued that Big Apple Connect does not address the full scope of New York\u2019s digital divide.<\/p>\n<p>Council Member Gutierrez\u2019s new bill, co-sponsored by 14 Council Members, directs the Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) to resume and implement the core strategies of the Internet Master Plan, which include:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Setting measurable goals for providing affordable broadband in underserved neighborhoods;<\/li>\n<li>Leveraging city assets and public-private partnerships to expand a shared fiber infrastructure;<\/li>\n<li>Prioritizing participation from minority- and women-owned internet providers to ensure equity in digital services;<\/li>\n<li>Guaranteeing broadband access in all city-owned facilities, including public housing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThe Internet Master Plan was a bold and visionary approach to closing New York City\u2019s digital divide and make sure 1.5 million more New Yorkers are connected to the services and community they need to thrive,\u201d <strong>said Council Member Gutierrez<\/strong>. \u201cDiscontinuing it left countless families without access to essential connectivity, and no path forward in site. This legislation will put New York City back on track to achieve true digital equity. After what we went through in 2020, with remote schooling, remote programming from senior centers, and increases in remote work, making sure every single New Yorker has high-speed internet access is a matter of life and death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The timing of this legislation is particularly crucial following the discontinuation of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) earlier this year, which provided internet subsidies to over 2 million New York City residents. While the Big Apple Connect program currently serves some NYCHA residents, it lacks a sustainable funding model beyond its initial three-year period and leaves many low-income communities without coverage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">###<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>NYC hasn\u2019t had comprehensive plan to increase&nbsp;internet access since Mayor Adams killed&nbsp;popular plan in 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>New York (November 14, 2024) \u2013 Council Member Jennifer Guti\u00e9rrez, Chair of the Committee on Technology, will introduce legislation next week at the November 21st, 2024, Stated meeting aimed at reviving the transformative Internet Master Plan, a blueprint to provide universal, affordable, and equitable broadband access to all New Yorkers.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong><small><a href=\"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/jennifer-gutierrez\/2024\/11\/14\/council-jennifer-gutierrez-legislation-internet-master-high-speed-internet-to-new-yorkers\/\">READ MORE<\/a><\/small><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":232,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[25,172,173,52,15,171],"class_list":["post-250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tech","tag-committee-on-technology","tag-internet","tag-internetmasterplan","tag-nyc","tag-oti","tag-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/jennifer-gutierrez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/jennifer-gutierrez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/jennifer-gutierrez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/jennifer-gutierrez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/232"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/jennifer-gutierrez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/jennifer-gutierrez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/jennifer-gutierrez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/jennifer-gutierrez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/jennifer-gutierrez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}