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Q&A
Competitive process for selecting ISPs for Big Apple Connect
1:21:01
·
61 sec
Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez questions the competitive nature of the ISP selection process for Big Apple Connect. Brett Sikoff explains the requirements and limitations of the selection process.
- The mini bid had specific requirements for high-speed internet and basic cable service
- Infrastructure needed to be already in place for immediate service provision
- The process was competitive among qualified providers who could meet the requirements
- Only three providers (likely Spectrum, Altice, and Verizon) were mentioned as having applied
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:21:01
And so in their responses, they each included cable just because they had the infrastructure or was this something that
Brett Sikoff
1:21:08
I believe it was a requirement or it was a
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:21:10
Trying to understand what came first.
1:21:12
Was it like the mini bid came out and all everybody that participated also provided cable, so now it's part of this program?
1:21:18
Or were you was the city looking for providers exclusively that could provide cable?
1:21:23
Because obviously that would have that limits the pool.
Brett Sikoff
1:21:25
Yeah.
1:21:25
My understanding was that the that mini bid had requirements for high speed Internet, basic cable service, and that the infrastructure was already in place so that they can get started immediately.
1:21:36
So it was that was at the very beginning, that answers.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:21:39
Okay.
1:21:41
So there was never there was no intention for, like, a real competitive process?
Brett Sikoff
1:21:47
It was certainly competitive among those who qualified to be able to who were qualified to be able to provide the services that
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:21:52
were Oh, it's only that it's three of them that you mentioned that applied.
1:21:56
Correct?
1:21:56
Well,
Brett Sikoff
1:21:57
one of the contingencies was was that there would be service available immediately to residents.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:22:02
Mhmm.