Committee Established to Advise the ConnectALL Office as it Deploys More Than $1B for Accessible, Equitable and Affordable Broadband
Inaugural Meeting Held Virtually, Materials Can be Found Here
Empire State Development (ESD) today announced the members of the State’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee to advise on broadband and digital equity planning and implementation statewide. Members include representatives from key state infrastructure agencies, private-sector telecommunications operators, organized labor and Tribal affairs. The inaugural virtual meeting of the committee was held on October 18.
Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “The Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee will help us ensure that New York has affordable, equitable and reliable broadband throughout the entire state, and I want to thank Governor Hochul for Appointing Josh Breitbart as Chair of this very important committee.”
Committee members include:
- Chair - Joshua Breitbart, Empire State Development
- James Becker, MIDTEL (Governor‘s Appointee)
- Jackie Bray, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
- Paul Cardettino, State Education Department
- Mary Harding, Department of Transportation
- Camille Joseph-Goldman, Charter Communications (Governor‘s Appointee)
- Moses Kamya, Office of General Services
- Becky Koepnick, Homes and Community Renewal
- Scott Melvin, Department of Labor
- Allyson Mitchell, Mohawk Networks (Governor‘s Appointee)
- Ali Mohammed, New York Power Authority
- Frank Muia, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (Governor‘s Appointee)
- Brian Ossias, Department of Public Service
- Patrick Ryan, Division of Budget
- Laurie Wheelock, Public Utility Law Project (Senate Appointee)
In September, ConnectALL released the Five-Year Action Plan, which outlines the state’s goals and priorities for its $664 million allocation of federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding. ConnectALL has also been deeply engaged with stakeholders across the state to gather input through digital equity coalitions in every region. Outreach and engagement efforts have included listening sessions in every region of the state; more than 40 focus groups including veterans, seniors, marginalized populations, and low-income households; virtual stakeholder forums; and digital equity task force town halls in partnership with the New York State Library, and a statewide public survey. The learnings and recommendations from this engagement will be included in the State Digital Equity Plan and the BEAD Initial Proposals, which will soon be released for public comment. Read the Five-Year Action Plan at broadband.ny.gov.
The Department of Public Service published the 2023 Broadband Report in June. The Report can be found in Case 22-M-0313 on the Public Service Commission website, www.dps.ny.gov.
About Empire State Development
Empire State Development (ESD) is New York’s chief economic development agency (www.esd.ny.gov). The mission of ESD is to promote a vigorous and growing economy, encourage the creation of new job and economic opportunities, increase revenues to the State and its municipalities, and achieve stable and diversified local economies. Through the use of loans, grants, tax credits and other forms of financial assistance, ESD strives to enhance private business investment and growth to spur job creation and support prosperous communities across New York State. ESD is also the primary administrative agency overseeing the Regional Economic Development Councils and the marketing of "I LOVE NY," the State’s iconic tourism brand. For more information on Regional Councils and Empire State Development, visit www.regionalcouncils.ny.gov and www.esd.ny.gov.
Contact:
Kristin Devoe | [email protected] | (518) 414-1087
ESD Press Office | [email protected] | (800) 260-7313