NYC moves closer to broadband plan

[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
In the last session of the year, the City Council of New York passed legislation that creates a special broadband commission to advise Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the city council on how the resources of city government can be used to help roll out broadband throughout the city. The legislation requires that the committee hold two public hearings in every borough during its three years of existence. In addition, the committee will issue a report yearly with recommendations to the mayor and city council on how the government can accelerate the construction of broadband infrastructure throughout New York City. The goal of the commission is to educate the general public about broadband and the newest communication technologies, and to give New York City residents the opportunity to comment on how to close the digital divide. Today only 38 percent of the city's 8 million residents subscribe to broadband service, according to a report prepared by the New York City Economic Development Corporation in March. This, despite the fact that access to broadband service is nearly ubiquitous throughout the city. Verizon Communications reports that about 85 to 90 percent of New Yorkers have access to DSL service, and Time Warner Cable, the predominant cable provider, reports that 100 percent of its customers have access to cable modem service.
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