Multiple committees and telecommunications giants released news this week in their perspective markets. First up, the The Assembly’s committees on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions as well as Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry met at a hearing entitled: “Providing Affordable and High Quality Cable, Broadband and Telephone Service.”
Time Warner announced a rate increase, and TimesUnion reports that “regulators on the state and federal levels are looking at a plan by the French giant Altice to purchase Long Island’s Cablevision.” Verizon Wireless is moving from copper service toward wireless and fiber optic, which is a problem for unions, since Verizon’s copper is installed by union members.
Broadband also is coming to under-served areas in New York State, “which is launching
a largely dollar-for-dollar match worth $500 million” for the project, according to TimesUnion. Under-served areas and remote rural locales seemed to be main concerns, as copper lines are decaying, broadband is needed or there are a lack of cell towers.
Assemblyman Jim Brennan, who chairs the Corporations committee, asked the public service department at the hearing about extracting “more from Charter/Time Warner before lending their approval to the merger.” He asked about the speed of the project expanding into rural areas. Kimberly Harriman, the public service department’s general counsel said that it wasn’t a simple answer and a lot dealt with federal regulations and the newness of the field of broadband.
Some areas of upstate New York, are still using dial-up to access the Internet and have no fiber optic service, which is unacceptable, according to Troy, NY, rep Steve McLaughlin. Peter Lopes, who reps Schoharie Valley, asked for more cell towers in rural areas, but then posed the question of funding. Other lawmakers echoed the sentiments of having dropped calls through the state, but weren’t sure how to fix the problem.
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