State Leg No-brainer: Pass the Brodsky Telecom Act
This is a no-brainer if you support economic development in upstate NY, especially rural areas.
There’s a bunch of un-done stuff from the state leg session that just ended, but, in the words of Philip over at The Albany Project…
one of the most significant bills introduced in Albany in years didn’t seem to make his list, Assemblyman Brodsky’s Telecommunications Reform Act of 2007, a bill that would certainly qualify as “dedicated and aggressive action to revive the upstate economy” by requiring the buildout of high speed broadband infrastructure to a minimum of 85% of the state, something desperately needed by under served and economically depressed communities upstate. It would also protect net neutrality, bring cheaper cable and telephone rates through increased competition and allow New York to once again be a progressive, innovative model for other states to follow.
Quite a coalition of support has coalesced around the bill since its introduction including NYS Rural Advocates, NYPIRG, Common Cause, Jobs With Justice, Citizen Action, Rural Opportunities Inc, New York State Alliance for Retired Americans, Consumers Union and ACORN among others. Much of the credit for assembling this coalition goes to Pete Sikora at the Communications Workers of America who has done a fantastic job of building support for the bill against its only known opponents, namely the cable companies and Verizon (and by extension, Joe Bruno and the Republican state Senators who represent those upstate New Yorkers who stand to benefit most from passage of the bill.)
If you’re not saying to yourself, “Holy crap! What can I do to help?”, he’s got more detail at The Albany Project. If you are already on board:
We need to let the Governor know that not only do we want what this bill provides (and he has repeatedly advocated for) but that there is a constituency of support for him when he takes on this fight. Call him at 518-474-8390 and ask him to support this bill.
So there ya go.
[...] we asked you to call the Gov about supporting the Brodsky Telecom bill. It is indeed a no-brainer if you’re a regular [...]
For more information on The Communications Workers Of AAmerica’s campaign go to http://www.speedmatters.org