Difference between revisions of "NYCBAC Queens hearing"

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(New page: ==New York Broadband Advisory Committee== For more info, see NYC Broadband Advisory Committee. ===Queens Public Hearing - Mar 3 2008=== 01 David Birdsell - Introductoions * Neil Pa...)
 
(→‎Queens Public Hearing - Mar 3 2008)
Line 27: Line 27:
 
05 Frank Pasquale, Professor, Seton Hall University School of Law      (doc)
 
05 Frank Pasquale, Professor, Seton Hall University School of Law      (doc)
 
* Broadband infrastructure essential to economy.
 
* Broadband infrastructure essential to economy.
−
* Digital divide 1) between rich and poor in the USA.
+
* * Digital divide 1) between rich and poor in the USA.
 
* Digital Divide 2) between USA and other advanced countries.
 
* Digital Divide 2) between USA and other advanced countries.
 
* Government co-investment needed to meet goals.
 
* Government co-investment needed to meet goals.
Line 46: Line 46:
  
 
07 Takeshi Utsumi, PhD, Global University System / Columbia University
 
07 Takeshi Utsumi, PhD, Global University System / Columbia University
−
* creating Global University System HQ in Tampere, Finland  
+
* 35 years experience in internetworking
−
* Japan & Korea way ahead of USA
+
* creating Global University System with HQ in Tampere, Finland  
 +
* Japan & Korea way ahead of USA - consumers pay $50/mth for 100-160 mbps,
 +
* While Brooklyn Poly/Columbia U. have 100mbps - major Japanese Universities have 100gbps & local universities have 1gbps
 +
* There is a 1.3 tera bps connection between Japan and Siberia
 +
* a 2 tera bps is being promulgated between Japan and Africa, with Japan Gov, finance $10-20 billion
 +
* Asian Development Bank is developing a fibre super highway alomg the old Silk Road.
 +
* NYC should be a dynamic information center, yet Prof. Utsumi has 10mbps which drops to 5mpbs via Time Warner.
 +
* NYC ought to devise at least a 1 terabit trunkline throughout 5 boroughs then implement free wireless access.
 +
* Education software is becoming free, the connection needs to also be free.
 +
* Mere multimedia content capability is not sufficient - applications like videoconferencing, collaborative engineering simulations need more bandwidth
 +
Anthony: Is the city at a disadvantage for attracting scientific research because of bandwidth deficiency?
 +
* Yes. When Prof. Utsumi started there was only one other computer the equivalent of Brooklyn Poly. While everyone else has progressed Brooklyn Poly has stayed the same.
 +
Gale: Should the national government spend billions of dollars like other countries?
 +
* Prof. Utsumi has been working with Finland. Finland is #1 on vocational training. The first thing to spend money on is education in K12.
 +
Neil: What in particular is effect of lack of bandwidth on Brooklyn Poly?
 +
* With 1gbps students can work on virtual reality, collaborative 3d modeling, on a global scale. Educational video needs to be of high quality.
 +
 
 +
08 Computers For Youth
 +
Bill Rappel, National Director for the Affiliate Network.
 +
* 3 students that are testifying are from I.S.204.
 +
* CFY promotes a rich home learning environment in partnership with schools.
 +
* CFY's programs select middle school and provides every 6th grader with computer w/ standalone educational software. 
 +
* Going forward software will increasingly require broadband access.
 +
Rema McCoy, Student Software Team Manager
 +
* Student volunteers participate in Saturday sessions evaluating educational software
 +
* All three students testifying are participants in the program.
 +
* Increasingly submitted software requires online connectivity so, thus this year, via co-operation with cable operators, all participants have received free broadband.
 +
Samuel Fok, I.S. 204 student
 +
* All students should have fast and inexpensive internet at home, helps with research and do home work faster and on time.
 +
* Time is wasted waiting for access at the library. One of Sam's projects got deleted.
 +
* Video material in particular needs broadband.
 +
Nadia Betancor, I.S. 204
 +
* All students should have fast and inexpensive internet at home, it gives you information at your fingertips.
 +
* It helps you find out what is happening in other parts of the world.
 +
* Internet access is a useful and important research resource for school projects.
 +
* Home access is easier, quieter, more enjoyable, comfortable, and relaxing. 
 +
* Home access saves time and having to walk to the library (although walking is good exercise).
 +
* Nadia also does research for her family, and is able to help her brother and her sister with their homework.
 +
Daisy Garcia, I.S. 204
 +
* All students should have fast and inexpensive internet at home, kids need it to do research for their homework.
 +
* With home access, it is possible explore freely without the pressure of time limits or worries of losing data.
 +
Mitchel: Where do you learn how to use the internet?
 +
* Daisy: School
 +
* Samuel: Parents
 +
* Nadia: School
 +
Gale: Do other kids in your class have Internet at home? How much help is it at school if you have it at home?
 +
* Sam: Many kids have dial-up, but only one in 27 in his class had dsl o. Some web-pages use a lot of a memory and it makes projects slow. A project that takes a day on broadband can take a week on dial-up.
 +
* Nadia: Not everyone. They have to go to the library. Home access would be a big help.
 +
* Daisy: Only a few have cable Internet. Home access is much faster than going to the library.
 +
Neil: What was the last project you needed internet for, and for which library access was insufficient.
 +
* Daisy. Black History Month. Thurgood Marshall.
 +
* Nadia. Same project. In the library sometimes they won't have a book on the person you have been assigned, while on the computer you just type in the name and the information comes up.
 +
* Samuel. Has been working for some time on a Science Fair project. Researching information on the human nervous system. With dial-up progress was slow. Now with broadband, project is almost finished.
 +
Neil: Have you given up going to the library now that you have internet? 
 +
*Sam: Not given up, but the 35 minutes it takes for him to walk to the library he can work on his project.
 +
* Daisy: Still goes to the library for books.
 +
* Nadia: likes reading, and takes her brother and sister so they can increase their reading skills.
 +
David Wicks: With home access do parents get involved in school projects?
 +
* Daisy: Yes. Leads to conversation.
 +
* Nadia: Yes. Parents make helpful suggestions.
 +
* Samuel: Yes. Dad checks that he's focused.
 +
Wendy: Do your parents know how to go online?
 +
* Sam: Parents know how to go online, but need help.
 +
* Daisy: is teaching her parents. Dad is getting the hang of it.
 +
* Nadia: helps her Mom.
 +
Wendy: Are there any studies on the percentage of broadband usership amongst CFY participants?
 +
* Bill: will forward information to the Committee.
 +
Wendy: Is CFY providing broadband for other schools?
 +
* Bill: apart from software evaluators at I.S.204. there is a pilot program with Cablevision in The Bronx where all CFY families are provided with 8 hours of free access - they can then elect to sign up for dial-up at $9/month, payable with check or money order.
 +
Wendy: Was it successful? Will it be expanded?
 +
* Bill: Too early to say. While  many families were already signed up for triple-play, among the rest many were reluctant to sign up at all for reasons that are not clear. 
 +
David Wicks: Website?
 +
* Bill: http://www.cfy.org - in the news section there is an informative video.
 +
David: Nadia, how has home access changed tutoring your brother and sister?
 +
* Nadia: Instead of going to the library, I can just access the information.
 +
Davis: Do your friends come over to use your broadband?
 +
* Sam: Not really.
 +
* Daisy: No.
 +
* Nadia: Yes. A friend comes over to do her projects.
 +
 
 +
09 Scott Wolpow  - IT professional  http://www.publiccto.com/
 +
* Hearing could be streamed live?
 +
*Concerns with access providers:
 +
** Net Neutrality - restricting access infringes first amendment rights 
 +
** Throttled bandwidth -  ditto, and while occasionally justifiable should be fully disclosed 
 +
** Blocked ports - limit parents ability to to monitor children, VOIP, smart refrigerators and other innovative applications, often is undisclosed
 +
** Undisclosed real speeds.
 +
** Arbitrary data transfer limits.
 +
Anthony: Are these behaviors inhibiting New Yorkers ability to develop new projects and services?
 +
* 100%. Yes.
 +
 
 +
10 Daniel Dragan - broadband customer <!-- Queens Community Board 8 http://www.queenscb8.org/ -->
 +
* Lack of competition - extremely difficult for new players.
 +
* Access via Libraries - valuable free resource
 +
* Internet cafe's - cheap alternative
 +
* Lack of middle ground between consumer and business class connections.
 +
* Municipal broadband fails because it overestimates potential customers and is uncompetitive
 +
* Universal servioce band. Should fund broadband access.
 +
* Internet speeds are not increasing.
 +
* Looks forward to the day when entire world is a global LAN
 +
* dsl access is not available in all parts of the city
 +
* Resellers are ill served by broadband providers
 +
* Small businesses can be hit with big line charges to install commercial grade access
 +
* Industrial parks being a particular example.
 +
Wendy: Which industrial parks?
 +
* Brooklyn Navy Yards
 +
Wendy: I think that's been remedied.
 +
 
 +
11 Bruce Lincoln - Urban Cyberspace initiative
 +
* Involved in a pilot project in Harlem to develop technology entrepreneurship community centers in the NYCHA properties.
 +
* In the information age all citizens need 1) access 2) training, and 3) services.
 +
* Recently attended 'State of the Internet' and 'Future of Broadband' conferences and was surprised to find goal was liomited to 10mbps to 100mbps.
 +
* For immersive distance-learning and telemedicine apps symmetric bandwidth in the 1gbps range is imperative.
 +
* Incumbents have little interest in radical redevelopment of their networks, particularly in underserved markets.
 +
* Metroscale Regional Cyberspace Initiatives (MERCI) is a hybrid fiber/wireless model developed at MIT.
 +
* Apart from social benefits the MERCI model is designed to break even financially in 36 months.
 +
* MERCI is undergoing tests in several communities including Harlem, & Jackson Mississippi.
 +
Gale: What is necessary for ubiquitous coverage?
 +
* Long term agreement with municipality
 +
* Using incumbent redundant fiber.
 +
* Access to city's assets. Towers, lightposts, etc.
 +
* In Jackson backhaul provided by Entergy

Revision as of 23:02, 4 March 2008

New York Broadband Advisory Committee

For more info, see NYC Broadband Advisory Committee.

Queens Public Hearing - Mar 3 2008

01 David Birdsell - Introductoions

  • Neil Pariser
  • Tom Dunn
  • Anthony Townsend
  • David Wicks
  • Wendy Lader
  • Mitchel Ahlbaum

02 Cindy Freidmutter - Welcome 03 Former U.S. Senator Larry Pressler (R-SD)

  • Sen Pressler is author of the 1996 Telecommunications Act

Gale: should e-rate be expanded?

  • Yes. Pressler is working on an article that will recommend that the 1996 act be brought up to date particularly the Snowe-Rockefeller amendments. It's important that the NYCBAC make its concerns known to Washington.

04 Gale Brewer & James Sanders - introductory remarks

  • Work of this Committee is combined with the Economic Development Corp.
  • Technology is fast changing.
  • NYC ahead of the curve compared to other cities.
  • Public participation is vital.

05 Frank Pasquale, Professor, Seton Hall University School of Law (doc)

  • Broadband infrastructure essential to economy.
  • * Digital divide 1) between rich and poor in the USA.
  • Digital Divide 2) between USA and other advanced countries.
  • Government co-investment needed to meet goals.

Gale : How do we achieve goals without federal support?

  • While maintaining net neutrality explore taxation of successful application providers.

06 Joshua Breitbart, Policy Director, Peoples Production House (doc)

  • PPH teaches radio production & media literacy including tech in NYC middle & high schools.
  • New program - Digital Expansion Initiative to educate public on broadband access.
  • Brietbart will submit comments on CD from field interviews with immigrants and others without access to the committee.

Tom: Does PPH work with community access organizations?

  • Community grant funded video project with MNN for high schools on explaining internet technology.

Gale: Vis-a-vis PPH 'Road NYC' program the committee would be glad to meet with immigrants, perhaps with simultaneous translation, to discuss broadband.

  • This could be done. Meetings would not necessarily have to be lengthy.

David: Top two suggestions for improving public engagement on broadband issue?

  • Evening meetings
  • Update website

07 Takeshi Utsumi, PhD, Global University System / Columbia University

  • 35 years experience in internetworking
  • creating Global University System with HQ in Tampere, Finland
  • Japan & Korea way ahead of USA - consumers pay $50/mth for 100-160 mbps,
  • While Brooklyn Poly/Columbia U. have 100mbps - major Japanese Universities have 100gbps & local universities have 1gbps
  • There is a 1.3 tera bps connection between Japan and Siberia
  • a 2 tera bps is being promulgated between Japan and Africa, with Japan Gov, finance $10-20 billion
  • Asian Development Bank is developing a fibre super highway alomg the old Silk Road.
  • NYC should be a dynamic information center, yet Prof. Utsumi has 10mbps which drops to 5mpbs via Time Warner.
  • NYC ought to devise at least a 1 terabit trunkline throughout 5 boroughs then implement free wireless access.
  • Education software is becoming free, the connection needs to also be free.
  • Mere multimedia content capability is not sufficient - applications like videoconferencing, collaborative engineering simulations need more bandwidth

Anthony: Is the city at a disadvantage for attracting scientific research because of bandwidth deficiency?

  • Yes. When Prof. Utsumi started there was only one other computer the equivalent of Brooklyn Poly. While everyone else has progressed Brooklyn Poly has stayed the same.

Gale: Should the national government spend billions of dollars like other countries?

  • Prof. Utsumi has been working with Finland. Finland is #1 on vocational training. The first thing to spend money on is education in K12.

Neil: What in particular is effect of lack of bandwidth on Brooklyn Poly?

  • With 1gbps students can work on virtual reality, collaborative 3d modeling, on a global scale. Educational video needs to be of high quality.

08 Computers For Youth Bill Rappel, National Director for the Affiliate Network.

  • 3 students that are testifying are from I.S.204.
  • CFY promotes a rich home learning environment in partnership with schools.
  • CFY's programs select middle school and provides every 6th grader with computer w/ standalone educational software.
  • Going forward software will increasingly require broadband access.

Rema McCoy, Student Software Team Manager

  • Student volunteers participate in Saturday sessions evaluating educational software
  • All three students testifying are participants in the program.
  • Increasingly submitted software requires online connectivity so, thus this year, via co-operation with cable operators, all participants have received free broadband.

Samuel Fok, I.S. 204 student

  • All students should have fast and inexpensive internet at home, helps with research and do home work faster and on time.
  • Time is wasted waiting for access at the library. One of Sam's projects got deleted.
  • Video material in particular needs broadband.

Nadia Betancor, I.S. 204

  • All students should have fast and inexpensive internet at home, it gives you information at your fingertips.
  • It helps you find out what is happening in other parts of the world.
  • Internet access is a useful and important research resource for school projects.
  • Home access is easier, quieter, more enjoyable, comfortable, and relaxing.
  • Home access saves time and having to walk to the library (although walking is good exercise).
  • Nadia also does research for her family, and is able to help her brother and her sister with their homework.

Daisy Garcia, I.S. 204

  • All students should have fast and inexpensive internet at home, kids need it to do research for their homework.
  • With home access, it is possible explore freely without the pressure of time limits or worries of losing data.

Mitchel: Where do you learn how to use the internet?

  • Daisy: School
  • Samuel: Parents
  • Nadia: School

Gale: Do other kids in your class have Internet at home? How much help is it at school if you have it at home?

  • Sam: Many kids have dial-up, but only one in 27 in his class had dsl o. Some web-pages use a lot of a memory and it makes projects slow. A project that takes a day on broadband can take a week on dial-up.
  • Nadia: Not everyone. They have to go to the library. Home access would be a big help.
  • Daisy: Only a few have cable Internet. Home access is much faster than going to the library.

Neil: What was the last project you needed internet for, and for which library access was insufficient.

  • Daisy. Black History Month. Thurgood Marshall.
  • Nadia. Same project. In the library sometimes they won't have a book on the person you have been assigned, while on the computer you just type in the name and the information comes up.
  • Samuel. Has been working for some time on a Science Fair project. Researching information on the human nervous system. With dial-up progress was slow. Now with broadband, project is almost finished.

Neil: Have you given up going to the library now that you have internet?

  • Sam: Not given up, but the 35 minutes it takes for him to walk to the library he can work on his project.
  • Daisy: Still goes to the library for books.
  • Nadia: likes reading, and takes her brother and sister so they can increase their reading skills.

David Wicks: With home access do parents get involved in school projects?

  • Daisy: Yes. Leads to conversation.
  • Nadia: Yes. Parents make helpful suggestions.
  • Samuel: Yes. Dad checks that he's focused.

Wendy: Do your parents know how to go online?

  • Sam: Parents know how to go online, but need help.
  • Daisy: is teaching her parents. Dad is getting the hang of it.
  • Nadia: helps her Mom.

Wendy: Are there any studies on the percentage of broadband usership amongst CFY participants?

  • Bill: will forward information to the Committee.

Wendy: Is CFY providing broadband for other schools?

  • Bill: apart from software evaluators at I.S.204. there is a pilot program with Cablevision in The Bronx where all CFY families are provided with 8 hours of free access - they can then elect to sign up for dial-up at $9/month, payable with check or money order.

Wendy: Was it successful? Will it be expanded?

  • Bill: Too early to say. While many families were already signed up for triple-play, among the rest many were reluctant to sign up at all for reasons that are not clear.

David Wicks: Website?

David: Nadia, how has home access changed tutoring your brother and sister?

  • Nadia: Instead of going to the library, I can just access the information.

Davis: Do your friends come over to use your broadband?

  • Sam: Not really.
  • Daisy: No.
  • Nadia: Yes. A friend comes over to do her projects.

09 Scott Wolpow - IT professional http://www.publiccto.com/

  • Hearing could be streamed live?
  • Concerns with access providers:
    • Net Neutrality - restricting access infringes first amendment rights
    • Throttled bandwidth - ditto, and while occasionally justifiable should be fully disclosed
    • Blocked ports - limit parents ability to to monitor children, VOIP, smart refrigerators and other innovative applications, often is undisclosed
    • Undisclosed real speeds.
    • Arbitrary data transfer limits.

Anthony: Are these behaviors inhibiting New Yorkers ability to develop new projects and services?

  • 100%. Yes.

10 Daniel Dragan - broadband customer

  • Lack of competition - extremely difficult for new players.
  • Access via Libraries - valuable free resource
  • Internet cafe's - cheap alternative
  • Lack of middle ground between consumer and business class connections.
  • Municipal broadband fails because it overestimates potential customers and is uncompetitive
  • Universal servioce band. Should fund broadband access.
  • Internet speeds are not increasing.
  • Looks forward to the day when entire world is a global LAN
  • dsl access is not available in all parts of the city
  • Resellers are ill served by broadband providers
  • Small businesses can be hit with big line charges to install commercial grade access
  • Industrial parks being a particular example.

Wendy: Which industrial parks?

  • Brooklyn Navy Yards

Wendy: I think that's been remedied.

11 Bruce Lincoln - Urban Cyberspace initiative

  • Involved in a pilot project in Harlem to develop technology entrepreneurship community centers in the NYCHA properties.
  • In the information age all citizens need 1) access 2) training, and 3) services.
  • Recently attended 'State of the Internet' and 'Future of Broadband' conferences and was surprised to find goal was liomited to 10mbps to 100mbps.
  • For immersive distance-learning and telemedicine apps symmetric bandwidth in the 1gbps range is imperative.
  • Incumbents have little interest in radical redevelopment of their networks, particularly in underserved markets.
  • Metroscale Regional Cyberspace Initiatives (MERCI) is a hybrid fiber/wireless model developed at MIT.
  • Apart from social benefits the MERCI model is designed to break even financially in 36 months.
  • MERCI is undergoing tests in several communities including Harlem, & Jackson Mississippi.

Gale: What is necessary for ubiquitous coverage?

  • Long term agreement with municipality
  • Using incumbent redundant fiber.
  • Access to city's assets. Towers, lightposts, etc.
  • In Jackson backhaul provided by Entergy
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