josh's blog
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is holding a hearing on the digital television (DTV) transition in Brooklyn on Friday. People's Production House will be testifying at the hearing about the impact the federally mandated switch from analog television broadcasts to digital will have on New Yorkers who rely on over-the-air broadcasts for TV.
As I wrote in an article in February, "Counting Down to the Great Television Turnover," the DTV transition has the potential to disrupt access to free television for the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who get free television over the airwaves.
My May column on Gotham Gazette breaks down the Verizon franchise agreement. If you're interested in knowing what New Yorkers are getting and what we're losing, you should read it: What the Verizon Deal Does -- and Doesn't -- Do
This deal, negotiated in secret and rushed through the approval process, is perhaps the most underreported telecommunications story of the year. New York City is the largest cable market in the United States. This deal will set the standard not only for the other cable franchises in New York – Time Warner and Cablevision are up for renewal – but for FiOS deals across the country.
You can review the franchise agreement yourself:
The Digital Expansion video team of Johanna, Kristian, Darnell, Helki, and Brian recently visited the collocation facility for the New York State Education and Research Network (NYSERNet), where they interviewed Tim Lance, NYSERNET's president and chairman.
The DEI video team has been interviewing a range of experts on New York's Internet infrastructure as a way to understand why it works the way it does. This time, "It felt like we were inside the Internet!" said one of the team's members.
PPH will join City Council members and consumer advocates on the steps of City Hall today at 11:00am to call for a delay in the Franchise and Concession Review Committee vote on the proposed cable franchise for Verizon.
Participating in the press conference will be Councilmember Gale Brewer, chair of the Technology in Government Committee; Councilmember Tony Avella, chair of the Zoning and Franchise Committee; Susan Lerner from Common Cause/NY; Russ Haven from NYPIRG; Chuck Bell from Consumers Union; and myself.
The City and Verizon have negotiated a deal that will have a greater impact on our television watching and Internet usage than any other action the City or a company will take in the next 20 years – and you have been shut out of the discussion. The 6-billion-dollar deal to build a fiber optic network throughout the entire city was negotiated behind closed doors.
As part of the franchise approval process, the Franchise and Concession Review Committee (FCRC) is required to hold a public hearing. That meeting will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, May 20, from 3-6pm at the New York City College of Technology, 285 Jay Street.
