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QUESTION
Will the administration renew critical broadband service contracts, and what are the anticipated costs?
0:53:16
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Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser confirms plans to renew critical broadband service contracts for public housing and addresses program costs.
- The administration intends to renew contracts for a critical broadband service deemed essential during the pandemic and other emergencies.
- Continuation of the service is planned until a viable alternative is found, emphasizing its necessity for public housing residents, particularly children needing online access for education.
- There's a discussion about the program potentially reaching a capped cost, with the funding for Big Apple Connect being sourced from legacy NICE Win Funding.
- Fraser highlights the importance of municipal broadband, especially after the national ACP funding discontinuation, ensuring connectivity remains a priority for public housing residents.
- Future cost projections and regular market increases are mentioned, with details to be provided after the council meeting.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
0:53:16
Does the administration plan to renew its contracts with those 2 providers after the 3 year period concludes next fall
Matthew Fraser
0:53:23
this fall?
0:53:24
It's next fall.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
0:53:24
Next fall.
0:53:25
Are you taking a renewal?
Matthew Fraser
0:53:26
Yeah.
0:53:26
So we our our intention is to continue to maintain the service.
0:53:31
We it's a critical service.
0:53:33
And as we saw during the pandemic and even in today's modern era, we had a couple couple of weeks ago, we had a snow there where kids had to go home.
0:53:40
Imagine being in public housing.
0:53:42
You went home and you didn't have access to broadband.
0:53:43
That's not a reality.
0:53:44
They didn't catch your face.
0:53:46
So until we have a viable alternative to the program, we will continue to push the program forward.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
0:53:52
Okay.
0:53:52
And just kind of foreshadowing every year this program potentially could cost more every year?
Matthew Fraser
0:54:00
You you would reach a cap at a point when you reach a 100%
Alex Stein
0:54:04
a
Matthew Fraser
0:54:04
a down option, and we have the forecast for that number.
0:54:08
For us, a lot of the funding or the funding that supports Big Apple Connect comes from legacy NICE Win Funding NICE 1 had about $42,000,000 baseline and what was then due to its operating expense budget and Big Apple Connect still full short of bad baseline operating expense.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
0:54:26
Thank you.
0:54:26
And can you share do you have it now the what what that would look like with a 100% kinda
Matthew Fraser
0:54:31
we we can go through the projections, and then we can go through the projections with regular market increases, and we can provide that after after this.
0:54:39
Of the things as we're talking about at the Abbotnik, I just think it's important to emphasize.
0:54:43
This administration, among the many things that we've done that was smart, we've made a very smart decision with big apple today.
UNKNOWN
0:54:49
Mhmm.
Matthew Fraser
0:54:50
Because if we can see, recently on the national level, ACP, they've they've announced that funding will be discontinued.
0:54:56
Yeah.
0:54:56
So at a time when we were pushing a municipal broadband program, there were many that said we should rely on ACP
Jennifer Gutiérrez
0:55:02
Mhmm.
Matthew Fraser
0:55:03
Many.
0:55:04
And I think that the residents of Nietcha and public housing in New York City as that program sunsets now live in a reality where it doesn't mean their quality of life isn't active.
0:55:14
Yeah.
0:55:14
So I think it's just an important thing to know the school.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
0:55:16
There's your flowers.
0:55:17
Yeah.
0:55:18
Mister commissioner.
0:55:19
Well, I think and we had that hearing, I think, probably in this room, in the fall the same day that it was announced.
0:55:27
And I think there was concern about the the lifeline of what we could be what this city was was going to be able to pay moving forward.
0:55:35
Mhmm.
0:55:36
Certainly, with this ominous, like, we've gotta make cuts cuts cuts cuts cuts.
0:55:39
Obviously, that was in tune has has has changed because of, you know, like, just different revenue.
0:55:45
And I think certainly a priority from you and and many colleagues here of, like, this if it works, we wanna be able to invest in it.
0:55:52
So I think that was, like, a lot of it was, like, hey, ACP is out here.
0:55:56
But I agree.
0:55:56
I think it's been a really good system to ensure that that we're thinking about connectivity for everybody starting with public housing tenants, of I'd like to see more.
0:56:06
And I know we've had preliminary conversations where the packet of need is yes in public housing, but in a lot of other parts of the city.
0:56:16
So what is the approach there for?
0:56:19
I know very, like, preliminarily, we're like, what about 4 developments?
0:56:23
Like, project based section 8 developments that are I get it.
0:56:25
It's we can track it in that way, but how have those conversations evolved?