New York

Fiber pulls relocating businesses

acohill — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:55:04 -0800

This article from a rural update New York paper illustrates the power of fiber. The Adirondack region of upstate New York has a regional community fiber backbone that is pulling companies to the region--a region that would not give a second thought without the community fiber.

Fiber is basic economic development infrastructure. It is not a luxury for business anymore, it is a necessity. Communities that have competitive fiber today, or even have a plan for getting some in the next twelve to eighteen months, have a distinct competitive edge over communities that do not.

NY governor calls for universal broadband

acohill — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 05:48:30 -0800

Eliot Spitzer, the governor of New York, has called for universal access to broadband in the state. The text of his speech is here (note that you have to scroll down past the agriculture remarks to get to the broadband stuff).

Unfortunately, Spitzer seems comfortable relegating rural areas to second class status. He calls for a minimum of 100 megabit connectivity in urban areas, but says that just one-fifth of that (20 megabits) is fine for rural areas. Cable and DSL are not going to provide universal access in rural parts of New York, so Spitzer has apparently decided that rural areas will have to make do with wireless while the cities get fiber. Rural citizens and legislators in the state should be outraged that the governor is willing to choke their economic future so easily.

New York City says broadband should be a universal service

acohill — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 09:49:41 -0700

The New York City Committee on Technology in Government has issued an excellent and extensive report on the need for broadband throughout the city. It reaches many of the same conclusions that the City of Seattle reached in its study of broadband. Among the highlights:

Broadband must be affordable, and the private sector, even in New York City, is not delivering affordable broadband.
The Committee recommends that the City adopt a goal of universal broadband adoption by every resident, nonprofit, and business in the city.
The relatively high cost of current broadband offerings prevents many small and medium-sized businesses from being able to leverage savings that might come with broadband (like VoIP).
The Committee believes broadband is a necessity, not an amenity. The Committee states that "broadband....is a necessity and a public good in today's world."
The Committee also states that "Broadband is crucial to economic competitiveness." Their rationale is that New York City businesses now compete in a global economy in which businesses located in other countries (with affordable broadband) now compete directly with the businesses located in New York City.
The report also discusses broadband as a"must have" for businesses and notes that successful recruitment of businesses to locate in the City now depends heavily on the availability of affordable broadband.
The emerging requirement for bandwidth for an average household is 57-72 megabits/second, with "tech savvy" households using nearly all of a 100 megabit pipe. The report also notes that bandwidth requirements for business are higher than residential needs. The Committee noted that they saw no indication that the cable companies, which hold 75% of the broadband market in the U.S., have any intention of increasing their current single digit (3-5 megabit) capacity.

read more

New York City ties broadband to business

acohill — Mon, 25 Apr 2005 09:25:42 -0700

New York City has announced an ambitious plan to boost fiber capacity in the city and to make all public facilities "wireless friendly."

Here is a portion of the press release that illustrates New York understands the importance of broadband to small business. Major recommendations of the report include:

Dedicate a portion of Federal funds for rebuilding Lower Manhattan to strengthening Downtown Manhattan's fiber optic infrastructure and developing a wireless network to provide back-up capabilities.
Use City-owned and other public property for infrastructure to support new wireless technologies.
Encourage Business Improvement Districts and other local organizations to promote the use of wireless technologies and improve access to broadband at the local level.
Collaborate with universities to support development of new technologies and business ventures in telecommunications.
Develop programs to educate small business owners about the basics of broadband communications and how broadband can improve their businesses.

"Working with the private sector to enhance broadband access in all areas of the City is in keeping with the Mayor's commitment to support the members of the industrial and manufacturing sector, the majority of which are small businesses that do not have adequate high-speed Internet access," said EDC President Andrew M. Alper. "This plan delineates the steps the City should take to improve, enhance and ensure network reliability for the entire City."