City releases requesting proposals for modern, innovative, equitable broadband infrastructure for universal broadband and announces reservation process for light poles to be used for 5G installation
Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced next steps on the City’s efforts to achieve affordable and universal broadband. With a historic $157 million capital investment, the City is releasing a Request for Proposals that invites the telecommunications industry to create new affordable broadband service options through a first-ever coordinated system of access of up to 100,000 City assets, prioritizing areas identified by the Task Force on Racial Inclusion and Equity. The Mayor also announced the City will accelerate the buildout of 5G by making an unprecedented 7,500 City street poles available for mobile carriers to build out their networks, mainly in underserved areas. Combined, these initiatives will reach millions of New Yorkers across all five boroughs, expanding access to quality, high-speed, and reliable internet at home or on the go.
“All New Yorkers deserve affordable Internet access, no matter their zip code,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “With this historic effort to invest in broadband and 5G infrastructure, we are making tremendous strides toward closing the digital divide once and for all.”
“The digital divide affects how New Yorkers live, work, go to school, and connect with their communities,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Laura Anglin. “We applaud the multi-agency effort to change the playing field to ensure that all New Yorkers, regardless of where they live, have access to quality, high-speed, affordable internet service.”
"Internet connectivity is a means to address inequity, combat digital redlining, and create new economic opportunities for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who have been historically sidelined from the benefits of digital life," said J. Phillip Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives and co-chair of the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity. "These initiatives will bring 21st century life to underserved and low-income neighborhoods and it will provide Internet connection in a way that protects user privacy, ensures affordable rates, and delivers reliable access."
"High-speed internet facilitates online learning, career advancement, and increased employment opportunities. It is a requirement to fully participate in today's economy," said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been. “Building out access to the Internet democratizes a critical economic development tool, especially by providing our public housing residents the same opportunities as other New York City residents and is an important milestone in our fair recovery agenda."
“New Yorkers need internet connectivity to continue to live, work, and learn,” said John Paul Farmer, Chief Technology Officer of the City of New York. “With this RFP, we are opening the door for industry to step up and propose a range of technologies that will modernize broadband infrastructure and bring 4G and 5G connectivity to those New Yorkers who need it most. There is no one solution -- we welcome any and all ideas and the opportunity to work with all those who share our goal of closing the digital divide in New York City.”
“Over the past year, we worked closely with our partners in the telecom industry and we are now poised to make New York City a leader in 5G technology,” said Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications Commissioner and Citywide Chief Information Officer Jessica Tisch. “The 5G networks we are building out across all five boroughs will serve as an engine of economic growth and recovery for years to come.”
"COVID-19 has rapidly shifted the way we work, learn, socialize and access critical services. For communities hardest-hit, the digital divide only compounds longstanding racial and socioeconomic disparities," said Sideya Sherman, Executive Director, Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity and EVP, Community Engagement & Partnerships, NYCHA. "This multi-agency effort will benefit all New Yorkers through greater competition while accelerating access for the communities that need it the most."
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The RFP represents a first in the nation approach to closing the digital divide and changing the broadband market, incentivizing companies of every size, and M/WBEs, to provide new high-performing and affordable broadband service options. The RFP is being released as a partnership between the Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer (MOCTO), the Department of Small Business Services (SBS), and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). Through the RFP, the City expects to engage multiple internet service providers using a range of technologies that will lower connectivity costs for New Yorkers and increase competition amongst companies while incentivizing them to reach and serve more customers with broadband starting with more than 30 target neighborhoods identified by the Task Force on Racial Inclusion and Equity as most impacted by COVID-19. The RFP will reach 600,000 New Yorkers, including 200,000 public housing residents.
The NYC Internet Master Plan indicates that 18% of New Yorkers, or 1.5 million people, have neither a home nor a mobile internet connection. New Yorkers without internet connectivity are more negatively impacted during COVID-19 without the ability to access jobs, training, education, and mental health and healthcare resources from home.
18 agencies and entities have made up to 100,000 assets available for the RFP, including: Department of Social Services (DSS), Human Resources Administration (HRA); Department of Homeless Services (DHS); New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC); Department of Transportation (DOT); Department of Environmental Protection (DEP); Parks Department (Parks); Department of Sanitation (DSNY); Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS); Department of Education (DOE); Health + Hospitals (H+H); New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA); Department of Correction (DOC); New York Public Library (NYPL); Queens Public Library (QPL); Brooklyn Public Library (BPL); the Fire Department (FDNY); and the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Proposals for the RFP will be accepted from March 3rd, 2021 through April 19th, 2021. Details and submission information can be found online at http://nyc.gov/broadbandrfp.
POLE-TOP RESERVATION PLAN FOR 5G
To make New York City a leader in municipal 5G deployments, the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) will make 7,500 street poles available to mobile telecommunications franchisees through the City's new online reservation portal, which streamlines the process. About 1,500 poles will be released each quarter over the next 15 months, with the first reservation phase starting this month.
This doubles the number of City street poles currently reserved and will ensure that 5G is built out equitably by making 75 percent of the poles available in the outer boroughs or above 96th Street in Manhattan. This strategic approach will make sure that historically underserved and under-connected neighborhoods can benefit from 5G and its promise of broadband-like speeds for cellular data connections.
Wireless companies that hold one of twelve mobile telecommunications franchise agreements with DoITT will install and operate mobile equipment on City-owned light poles and privately-owned utility poles. The 5G equipment can be housed and concealed in a box that also supports 4G equipment. The Public Design Commission has approved a uniform single-tenant design, which represents an unprecedented collaboration between the City and the mobile telecommunications industry and takes the public's input into account. Additionally, after an extensive review, the Department of Buildings will issue guidance to clarify standards for siting and placement of antennas on buildings.
STATE LEGISLATION
These efforts to bridge the digital divide will be accelerated through the enactment of legislation (S. 3141 Parker) which will level the internet service provider playing field and increase competition to lower prices. The City currently administers franchises for providers of cable companies that provide internet service but is prevented by state law from similarly engaging broadband-only companies.
Providing the City with the authority to issue franchises to a broader set of companies, not just cable internet franchisees, will increase consumer choice and drive down prices of in-home broadband, enabling more lower-income households to subscribe. With this legislation, New York City can improve upon important consumer protections to advance high-quality service standards and safeguard the rights of consumers.
"We are excited to join our agency partners to kick off an RFP process that will take us one step closer to closing the digital divide for all those New Yorkers who lack effective access to broadband" said Department of Transportation Commissioner Hank Gutman. "Now more than ever, New Yorkers need reliable internet to connect them to essential resources, and DOT is proud to be a part of this innovative new plan. We look forward to seeing how DOT’s light poles will be creatively used to expand broadband more widely to communities across the five boroughs."
“COVID-19 has profoundly changed the way we live and work, emphasizing a greater need for internet access,” said Jonnel Doris, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “These initiatives are a big step forward in providing internet connectivity across the City, particularly in underserved communities. We look forward to the industry’s proposals for broadband infrastructure assets, that will ultimately help our small businesses and job seekers access the resources they need.”
“As our city’s economy recovers, helping more New Yorkers access broadband connections makes our city stronger and fairer,” said James Patchett, President and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. “These innovative solutions for low-cost internet service are essential to closing the city’s digital divide and strengthening the communities most impacted by COVID-19.
“Inclusivity and equity are central to our Agency’s work, as demonstrated by our consistent and comprehensive efforts to level the playing field for low-income communities through a range of reforms and initiatives, strengthening services for families in need while they are in shelter so that they can get back on their feet,” said Department of Homeless Services Administrator Joslyn Carter. “The NYC Internet Master Plan takes this commitment even further, with the critical goal of continuing to bridge the digital divide for all New Yorkers, including the young New Yorkers who we serve. Helping our clients access opportunity has been our top priority from day one — and in these extraordinary times, this mission is more important than ever, which is why we have redoubled our efforts to preserve as much stability as possible while ensuring that the school-aged children we serve have the same access to education as all other New York City children. This plan will bring us closer to realizing a future where every New Yorker has equal access to opportunity and an equal chance at achieving success.”
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