NYC Internet Master Plan Policy Resolution
The NY Chapter of the Internet Society strongly supports NYC Council Member Jennifer Gutierrez and her recently submitted legislation regarding reinstituting the Internet Master Plan.
Several NY Internet Society Board Directors were intimately involved with the Internet Master Plan initiative that was killed by the Adams administration and OTI Chief Technology Officer Matt Fraser in favor of rewarding the broadband technology elites with $157 million of public funds. The Internet Master plan had in fact set aside this New York City Council approved public funding for community-based projects like The Smart Community Initiative (TSCI).
TSCI is a non-profit led by public housing residents and community technologists whose plan was reviewed and vetted by several City agencies for over a year following a competitive RPF process. TSCI was subsequently selected to receive funding to expand technology applications and services that it had already deployed in many of the targeted communities. This was a first for a public housing resident not-for-profit group to be selected to empower resident associations to partner with TSCI to bring innovative applications and services to their residents.
The TSCI Streaming University Resident Public Safety Teaching Network puts technology tools directly into the hands of residents who are trained to install, manage and operate technology applications and services, enabling them to take control of their own public safety and quality of life.
Instead, CTO Matt Fraser redirected public funds intended to invigorate low-income Black and Latino communities, choosing to fund the paternalistic, top-down solutions of the corporate broadband elite.
We are outraged at this economic injustice and betrayal by the Democratically appointed CTO Fraser and ask that the City Council not allow further bureaucratic insolence and total indifference to communities of NYCHA residents.
This time we suggest community operation of the total project and elimination of the broadband cabal favored by Mayor Adams’ CTO who clearly disdains community technology projects that ensure economic benefits flow to Black and Latino not-for-profits.
The City Council must and should reinstate the community economic model that was the linchpin of the Internet Master Plan, enabling partnerships with community stakeholders, and not allow the same old business of bureaucratic foot soldiers to redirect funds and do the “we know what’s best” version of shutting out the very soul and purpose of community technology.
The New York Chapter and Internet Society as a whole stand for “the Internet is for everyone”,
and our Chapter, as do many other Chapters around the world who have expressed their support of our work, stand with the New York City Council Technology Committee Chair Jennifer Gutierrez and her unique and bold quest to bring the Internet to everyone.
Board of Directors
ISOC-NY