Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Reasons for cable bundling in Big Apple Connect program
1:20:06
·
51 sec
Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez inquires about the requirement for cable in the Big Apple Connect program. Brett Sikoff explains that cable was included due to the existing infrastructure of cable providers and the low per-unit cost.
- Cable providers had the necessary infrastructure in place to provide internet service quickly
- Including basic cable allows residents to access local news and local access channels
- The bundling decision was influenced by the very low price offered for each unit
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:20:06
On the bundling for Big Apple Connect, what is the reason for cable being a requirement?
Brett Sikoff
1:20:15
Well, for one, because they were cable providers under the master service agreement, and because they had, thanks to their cable agreements, the infrastructure in place to provide the Internet, it just made sense because of the very low price that we were getting for each unit to include cable, basic cable for folks to be able to look at, you know, watch local news or get local access channels that they maybe otherwise couldn't get.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:20:40
And they were offering lower prices than some of the smaller ISPs were?
Brett Sikoff
1:20:46
Who were?
1:20:47
I'm sorry.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
1:20:48
Altice and Spectrum.
Brett Sikoff
1:20:50
So that little mini bid that we referred to earlier was available to the cable providers because they were the ones with the infrastructure in place.