Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
REMARKS
Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez opens the technology committee's budget hearing
0:00:35
·
129 sec
Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez, chair of the technology committee, opens the March budget hearing for the Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI). She emphasizes the importance of overseeing OTI's investments and programs, and outlines the main topics to be discussed during the hearing.
- Gutiérrez expresses interest in OTI's recently announced roadmap for digital equity
- Key topics to be covered include broadband, Big Apple Connect, the Internet master plan, MyCity portal, Link NYC, and technology contracts
- The council member raises questions about the sustainability of outsourcing tech expertise and reliance on private contracts
Jennifer Gutiérrez
0:00:35
Good afternoon.
0:00:36
Thank you, and welcome to our March hearing.
0:00:39
I'm council member Jennifer Gutierrez, and I'm the chair of the committee on technology.
0:00:43
Before we jump in today, I wanna set the stage a bit for this budget hearing.
0:00:47
This committee traditionally did not have a stand alone preliminary budget hearing, but it was clear from very early on that the importance of having some oversight of the investments and programs that OTI was tasked with ahead of the budget cycle.
0:00:59
Many of the programs this agency is responsible for and building affect not just every agency but all New Yorkers.
0:01:07
I also want to spend some time on OTI's recent announcement of their roadmap for digital equity.
0:01:14
I've spent a long time here at hearings both with OTI here and with advocates talking about the fight for digital equity, and I've passed legislation to advance it.
0:01:24
And I was not a part of this road map, so I look forward to the commissioner and the agency's highlight of the rollout and this road map.
0:01:36
Again, would love to be a part of these collaborations in the future.
0:01:39
Today, we'll focus on the major pillars of OTI's work that touch New Yorkers, broadband and Big Apple Connect, the Internet master plan, my city portal, Link NYC, and technology contracts.
0:01:51
We need clarity on the specifics of the new needs, and we need them explained in concise layman's terms.
0:01:57
We will also hopefully dive into some more structural questions about how we are spending our tax dollars.
0:02:02
Are we outsourcing our tech expertise at an unsustainable scale?
0:02:05
Are we building a city that is entirely dependent on contracts that funnel public dollars to private companies in perpetuity?
0:02:12
Because if that is the case, it's not sustainable and is an investment in our own city.
0:02:17
We have a lot to discuss, and I expect direct transparent answers.
0:02:20
Today, I look forward to hearing from commissioner Fraser.
0:02:22
Thank you for being here as always and providing us with brief and concise answers as well as concerns public testimony concerns from the public.
0:02:30
Finally, I'd like to thank the technology committee staff, including counsel Irene Bayofsky and policy analyst Eric Brown, our finance analyst Aman Mahadevan, Florentine Kabor, and my chief of staff Anya Lair for their tremendous work on putting this hearing together.