Free Broadband for Public Housing in New York Sought as Condition in Comcast Deal

A group of New York politicians is lobbying Comcast to provide free broadband to all city public housing residents and expand other low-cost Internet offerings as a condition for the cable operator’s proposed $45 billion merger with Time Warner Cable.

Led by New York City’s public advocate, Letitia James, and City Councilman Ben Kallos, the group of state and local politicians is calling on Comcast to help bridge the so-called digital divide between people who have access to broadband connections and those who do not. The group also is asking that Comcast provide free broadband access at senior, youth and community centers as well as in homeless and domestic violence shelters. Also on the list of conditions is free Wi-Fi service in all city public parks and commitments to provide faster speeds. It also is seeking agreements from Comcast to operate under network neutrality, the idea that all Internet content should be treated equally as it flows from content providers to consumers and back. Several of the conditions go beyond what Comcast has offered up for its takeover of Time Warner Cable.