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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Stuart Reid, Co-chair of Smart Community Initiative, on NYC Internet Master Plan and Broadband Equity
2:32:05
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3 min
Stuart Reid, Co-chair of the Smart Community Initiative, testified about the Internet Master Plan and the city's approach to broadband equity. He criticized the current administration's decision to pause community-operated projects and expressed disappointment with the Office of Technology and Innovation's efforts in bringing broadband equity to public housing and low-income communities.
- Thanked various officials and organizations for their support, including Council member Jennifer Gutierrez and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
- Highlighted that the Smart Community Initiative was selected to receive funding from the initial $157 million set aside for the Internet Master Plan.
- Called for the city council to unfreeze and fully fund the Smart Community Initiative's Internet Master Plan to address chronic distress in public housing and low-income communities.
Stuart Reid
2:32:05
Madam chair and honored council members, thank you for this opportunity to speak about the Internet master plan and the city council's plan for its resurrection.
2:32:15
My name is Stuart Reed, and I'm the co chair of the Smart Community Initiative, a resident led, not for profit organization focused on providing free Internet applications and services to public housing communities.
2:32:30
First and foremost, I have to thank the many elected officials, organizations, and individuals that have made it possible for me to speak with you today on this topic.
2:32:39
Council member Jennifer Gutierrez has been a tireless and fearless advocate of community control technology initiatives, and I thank her and your staff for your dedicated work.
2:32:51
Brooklyn Borough president Antonia Reynoso, congresswoman Nidia Velasquez, NYCHA CEO Eva Tremble, the Saint Nick's Alliance, the City College of New York, including president Vince Boudreaux, WHCR general managers, Angela Harden and Kazia Glow, the Internet Society, New York chapter, Diana Blackwell, TA president at Fred Samuel Apartments, Deborah Benders, resident council president at Cooper Park Houses, and Nathaniel Green, NYCHA Manhattan North District chair and TA president at Dykeman Houses.
2:33:25
Thank you all for your support.
2:33:28
And finally, Ethel Velez, may you rest in peace knowing that your tireless efforts as NYCHA Manhattan North district chair, James Weldon Johnson, TA president, and co chair of the Smart Community Initiative, were not in vain.
2:33:43
As the council is well aware, the Smart Community Initiative, or TCI, was among those organizations selected to receive funding from the initial $157,000,000 that the city council set aside and designated to fund the Internet master plan.
2:33:59
Here we are some three years after that, and the current administration decided it had a better solution and paused TSCI's community operated and controlled project.
2:34:10
And OTI efforts to bring broadband equity, opportunity equity, or community led and operated stimulation to our public housing and lower income communities have been underwhelming, and financially, the gubrias said best.
2:34:26
Where is the community opportunity in the current iteration of the city's plan?
2:34:32
Certainly, it is not in anything we have seen.
2:34:34
The administration currently pays millions annually to broadband incumbents, Spectrum and Optima, while our group was told by the current administration that we would be included.
2:34:44
We have seen nothing in follow-up to what only can be described as a hollow promise.
2:34:49
It is critical that the city council not abandon its plan to provide significant funding for out of the box, innovative solutions and organizations that address the chronic distress in our public housing and other low income communities.
2:35:04
TSCI's Internet Master Plan does just that and should be unpaused and fully funded.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
2:35:09
Thank you.
2:35:10
Thank you.
2:35:10
Do you have that written, the testimony?
2:35:13
Oh, it's right here.
Brett Sikoff
2:35:14
Have it.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
2:35:14
Thank you so much.
2:35:16
You all so
Stuart Reid
2:35:16
much for longer.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
2:35:17
Yes.
2:35:18
I see the whole thank you thank you all so much for your testimony today.
2:35:21
Thank you.
Stuart Reid
2:35:22
No questions?
Jennifer Gutiérrez
2:35:23
No questions.