Niagara Gazette

Broadband access bill becomes New York law

The Comprehensive Broadband Connectivity Act, originally co-sponsored in the New York state Assembly by Mike Norris (R-Lockport), tasks the state Public Service Commission to study the availability, reliability and cost of broadband services. The Public Service Commission is tasked with: identifying barriers to the delivery of internet at a census block level, which is the smallest geographical census unit; problem solving for underserved areas with available technology; and identifying providers' noncompliance with franchise agreements where local governments have complained to the commiss

This is not the people’s FCC

Being an amateur radio operator I pay a little more attention to the goings-on at the Federal Communications Commission than the average person might. So, when President Trump selected Buffalo-born Ajit Pai to chair the FCC back in January, I cringed. The former associate general counsel of Verizon is more aligned with larger broadcasters and communications companies than most of the other commissioners are. Ten months into watch, the FCC hasn’t failed to disappoint.