Broadband Access Plan

In today’s world, your internet connection shapes your access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic has only driven this point home. Many students switched to remote learning and employees have moved increasingly to teleworking. This makes a high-speed, reliable internet connection invaluable. Broadband is also quickly becoming vital as healthcare shifts more from traditional in-person visits to telehealth services. High-speed, high-quality broadband is simply a necessity. 

However, too many New York families and small businesses lack access to affordable, fast, quality broadband, especially in rural areas. To make matters worse, upstate New York is subject to a virtual broadband monopoly. This has left many rural customers with nonexistent broadband service, or with service that is far too expensive. Instead of allowing monopolies such as Spectrum to dominate the market, we must allow other companies to expand into our region to provide quality and affordable coverage. A practical broadband monopoly prevents students from accessing educational opportunities, healthcare providers from fully serving their patients, and our local businesses from accessing new commercial possibilities in our increasingly digital economy. 

I’m committed to supporting policies that increase competition and connectivity. Every New Yorker needs to have access to a robust marketplace of broadband options. In addition, we must lay the groundwork for new technologies, such as 5G, that promise connectivity for a lower cost. To accomplish these objectives, I am supporting a package of bills in Congress that will deliver real results if passed. My plan unleashes private sector innovation to foster competition and bring costs down while also providing vital oversight over our leaders tasked with rolling out these broadband efforts. 

Unleashing Quality Broadband

• Cosponsored H.R. 3557, the American Broadband Deployment Act: This bill seeks to streamline the federal, state, and local permitting and approval of broadband and wireless communication facilities. It is important we do not allow government red tape to form a barrier to competition in the broadband provider marketplace or stop the deployment of modern fast broadband services. For years states such as New York have imposed policies such as onerous fees on providers using public rights-of-ways and glacial approval of permits, which have prevented expansion of high-quality broadband services to our rural areas. It is time we stop this bad behavior and ensure government does its part to expand broadband and internet access.
• Raise the minimum fixed broadband speed for the USDA ReConnect and Rural Utilities Services programs: I recently sent a letter to urge the House Agriculture Committee to raise the minimum fixed broadband speed for the USDA ReConnect and Rural Utilities Services programs from ensure all American can access high quality internet. With the rise of video calls, online learning resources, and telemedicine, the need for fast and reliable internet is higher than ever. We must ensure no communities are left behind in our new modern life. 

Providing Oversight

• Sent Letter to Governor Hochul urging Broadband Permitting Reform: The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) frustratingly has different permitting requirements for fiber optic projects along state rights-of-way than any other type of project. This adds enormous costs, severely hampering the expansion of high-quality broadband connections to our rural communities. It is time for the state to streamline these permitting survey requirements so all New Yorkers can have reliable access to the internet. 
• Sent Letter to the FCC Expressing Concerns on Broadband Maps: This January I sent a letter to the Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging her to extend the disputes deadline for their new National Broadband Map past the original January 13^th, 2023, deadline. The FCC national broadband map is essential in determining eligibility for many federal broadband grants, including the Rural Development Broadband ReConnect Loan and Grant program and the new Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. There were considerable concerns that the map’s methodology and its failure to provide information about libraries and other community anchor institutions, leaving them ineligible for funding. I was pleased to see the FCC eventually bend to pressure and move to update the National Broadband Map to address these concerns. 

Having access to fast, reliable, and affordable broadband is vital to the success of our communities in New York’s 24^thCongressional District. If our region is going to grow and thrive in a 21^st century economy, we need 21^st century tools. It is vitally important that we come together as a nation and work to provide concrete solutions for our digitally underserved communities. Your views are always important to me. Please write to me on my website or call my office at 202-225-3665 with feedback, questions, or concerns.