Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Potential for removing cable from Big Apple Connect program
1:23:54
·
71 sec
Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez questions the continued inclusion of cable in the Big Apple Connect program, given trends in cable subscription. Brett Sikoff responds to these inquiries.
- Gutiérrez notes dwindling cable subscriptions and increased streaming on phones or devices
- She questions the necessity of keeping cable as part of the subscription
- Gutiérrez suggests considering removing the cable component in future negotiations
- Sikoff agrees to look into the option but expresses uncertainty about removing cable
- OTI sees a benefit in providing basic cable services for local news and community access
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:23:54
Yeah.
1:23:55
I get it.
1:23:55
I get that the intent was like the cable was kind of an act like kind of a a bonus.
1:24:01
But, again, I think there's dwindling cable subscriptions.
1:24:05
And if we're paying at all any more money for cable, I'm just curious the intention of, like, keeping cable as part of that subscription.
1:24:16
If they're if we're, like if all these providers are seeing dwindling subscriptions, people are not necessarily, watching cable.
1:24:21
They're streaming it on their phones or their devices.
1:24:24
And then I think it's important for you all to as part of your contract because the cable piece, it seems like very crucial to this designation.
1:24:35
I think it's important that you all ask, well, how many of them how many of these 330,000 units are even connecting to cable?
1:24:42
Is there a clause or is there a possibility for you all to work that piece out of your renegotiations and your renewals?
Brett Sikoff
1:24:49
We could take a look.
1:24:50
I I I don't know offhand whether that's option or one that we would want to consider frankly.
1:24:55
I mean we we do realize there's a benefit to providing the basic cable services to to folks so that they can stay connected not just online but also to the local news and the community access organizations