Op-Ed: Making broadband a utility in New York state

The COVID-19 pandemic has reached into nearly every aspect of our daily lives. It has affected everything from family gatherings, to child care, to where and how we do our jobs. To keep us safe and stop the spread of the virus, many parts of our daily routines have become virtual.

For the past year, reliable internet access has been absolutely essential. Workers, students, people with telemedicine appointments, people trying to get vaccinated – at some point during the pandemic, we have all relied on an internet connection for something important to our way of life.

Our increased reliance on internet access during this past year meant that communities that don’t have access to reliable high-speed internet have faced extra challenges. The pandemic has highlighted a fact that our nation had already been grappling with for years: Broadband inequity is a major problem in the U.S.

That’s why we passed my bill, the Comprehensive Broadband Connectivity Act, with the state budget in April. The bill authorizes the creation of a comprehensive map of New York to identify who has reliable internet access and who doesn’t. Once we identify where those disparities are and why they exist, we can develop solutions to close New York’s technology gap and make sure people in every corner of our state have access to high-speed internet.

The passage of this legislation was an important accomplishment. But as many of us have learned after a year filled with video calls and remote work, those of us who already have access to high-speed internet don’t always get the product we’re paying for.

That’s why I’m sponsoring the New York Broadband Resiliency, Public Safety and Quality Act. This bill would classify broadband internet as a public utility – just like water, gas and electricity. High-speed internet became as essential to our way of life as these traditional utilities years ago. It’s long past time for it to be regulated as a utility so that we can make sure everyone gets the reliable service they are promised when they sign up.

If your electricity only worked a couple hours a day – or the dining room light worked most of the time, but wasn’t as bright when everyone else was using theirs – you wouldn’t accept that. The Public Service Commission would fight for you and make sure the electric company was delivering the service you paid for.

But unlike electricity, broadband is not currently regulated as a utility in New York. That means there is no government entity to have consumers’ backs when internet service doesn’t work as advertised. An unregulated monopoly has forced consumers to pay high prices for what is often a low-quality product.

When we pass this bill, that will change. Making broadband a utility will create the rules and regulations necessary to get New Yorkers the internet they’re paying for – and ensure that everyone has access to the affordable, reliable internet service we need for life in 2021.