Although New York Assembly bill A667C and the Senate version, S8805, were passed last summer, since then, they have been sitting on Governor Cuomo’s desk, awaiting his signature. As WGRZ-TV reports, the governor only has until the end of the year to ink his approval. If the bills go unsigned, the whole process needs to start over again.
“There’s certainly frustration, we want to get this going,” said Senator-elect, Sean Ryan. “There’s frustration because we’re having our constituents call and saying, ‘I can’t work from home, because my internet doesn’t function properly.’”
Ryan has said he believes part of the delay involves a study that will launch with the passage of the bill. The study would help determine where extra broadband coverage is or isn’t needed, which Ryan thinks is not popular in some quarters.
“I do know the big telecommunications companies that provide people with subpar internet, they’re against any study like this,” Ryan stated. “So I think there are major players out there working behind the scenes to try to stop a bill like this from going forward.”
While legislators debate, many residents in New York are dealing with inadequate broadband service, as concluded in last July’s broadband study bill. The year is almost over, and New York’s broadband plans are still on hold.
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