Closing broadband gap starts with signing Connectivity Act

Everyone knows the frustration of slow internet connectivity for even just a few minutes. It might interrupt work or pause a TV show, movie or sports game.

Now imagine life without access to the internet at all, or with access at such persistently slow speeds that streaming and Zoom meetings are next to impossible. These are the circumstances of daily life for too many people in the district I have represented, much of it rural.

During a pandemic, the disadvantages have become even more pronounced in a society that has moved almost entirely online. Students have fallen behind in class because they cannot connect with their teachers. Small businesses cannot connect with their customers. Workers cannot connect with their employers and work from home.

While the pandemic has magnified the consequences of inequality in access to broadband, the long-term health and prosperity of rural and lowincome communities require that we close the gaps, which is why I am urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign the Comprehensive Broadband Connectivity

Act — legislation I co-sponsored during my time in the state Senate. The bill is currently sitting on the governor's desk, and he has until Jan. 30 to sign it into law.

This common-sense legislation, which passed nearly unanimously in both the Senate and Assembly in July, would require the Public Service Commission to study the availability, reliability and pricing of broadband access throughout the state in order to better develop solutions to address service gaps.

People lack sufficient broadband access either because it is unaffordable or because the area lacks the necessary technological infrastructure. Developing effective solutions requires data on costs and connectivity that New York state

does not have. Recent studies by Microsoft and Broadbandnow indicate that broadband access data generated by broadband service providers is not always collected accurately, and that the Federal Communications Commission's method of collecting data at the censusblock level ends up missing many unserved households.

Understanding access at a more granular level — as well as the costs — will ensure that we can implement the right policy tools to achieve our goal of universal access, and this legislation will ensure we have the information we need. The bill also requires mapping of internet speeds, which affect whether many common internet uses, such as streaming and virtual meetings, can even be supported.

The PSC would be required to hold a minimum of four regional public hearings across the state and submit a report on its findings to the governor and Legislature within one year, including a plan to prioritize broadband access for communities that have experienced negative economic and social impacts due to absent or insufficient service. Additionally, this bill would require annual reporting so that as broadband technology improves, we can be sure that New York keeps in step.

We can no longer afford to delay. "Broadband for all" is essential to creating the conditions for equal opportunity in the 21st century, and I urge the governor to sign this legislation and equip New York with the tools to close the broadband gap once and for all.