The New York City Council unanimously adopted a resolution to provide low- or no-cost high-speed Internet access to affordable housing residents.
Res. No. 669, calls upon City agencies to use their funding and regulatory power to support and encourage the provision of affordable high-speed Internet service and computer purchases for the benefit of residents of affordable housing.
“This resolution will help us bridge the digital divide — lack of access to the economic, educational and financial tools that the Internet provides,” said Council Member Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan). “By encouraging new affordable housing developments to be built with high-speed Internet access, we can accelerate the entry of low-income people into the economic mainstream. At a cost as low as $175 a unit, this is an investment New York can’t afford not to make.”
Res. No. 669 states that:
- All future publicly financed or subsidized housing properties for residents earning less than 80 percent of the median area income should provide a high-speed Internet connection in the living area of every unit to residents for free or at a cost of less than $10 per month;
- The development of programs that benefit of low-income residents’ utilization of technology, such as the affordable purchase of computers, should be encouraged; and
- All relevant City agencies should use their funding and regulatory power to support and encourage the provision of affordable high-speed Internet service and computer purchases for the benefit of residents of affordable housing.
One Economy helps affordable housing developers across the nation design and implement high-speed Internet access solutions for residents. In some cases, the price is so low that housers elect to absorb the cost completely.
The “digital divide” is narrowing fast, says the World Bank. Some 1,700 international experts are gathering in Geneva this week to prepare for the U.N.’s World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The World Bank, contrary to the U.N., believes telecommunications are growing at an explosive rate in to poor countries. The World Bank is not to be confused with The Yes Men.
Neglecting or opposing the use of such new technologies is not only immoral but suicidal as a nation, and contrary to the long-term business interests of the same telecomm carriers who paradoxically oppose any connectivity efforts using what is known as “unlicensed spectrum.” The results? An Internet penetration of only 14 million users among a global population of over 103 million Mexicans.A sustainable rural connectivity project with a grassroots community development plan could fly using free spectrum to reduce costs of broadband access. Innovative wireless technologies that make high speed Internet access available at affordable prices — especially in remote areas, where wire-line telephones never came true — can be a win-win solution.
Organizations like One Economy work with Verizon, SBC, and other carriers for discount rates, much like multi-tenant operators. In addition they provide online multilingual content through The Beehive.
| I used to sit up nights, wishing I had an advertising medium as strong as radio or television to reach people within my own narrow industry. Wouldn t it be wonderful if insurance brokers had a TV or Radio station for insurance people, something that dealt with industry issues and education? What if car dealers had a medium just for the industry; or physicians had speciality stations one for heart surgeons, one for pediatricians etc. Today, my dreams have come true. If I want to create a radio or television station about any industry, I can build it, launch it and promote it on the Internet. We are no longer in the age of mass media; we have entered the era of personal media. Any company, any industry and any individual can have their own radio show, television show and/or training system. Production values can be as simple as that of a handheld camcorder or as complex as that from a television studio. Streaming is changing the face of business and industry worldwide. Get ready for a wild ride. |
Here’s a nice story (which can be read in this newspaper article, in Spanish) of how Almudena Montero has passed from being the author of the “AMQS” blog to the writer of the “Vida perra” book. The volume also can be bought online, as she explains in her successful online diary (also in Spanish).
MP3 Beamer (right) is a $399 Linux-powered streaming audio server that provides a centralized repository for music with WiFi distribution. The software-only version is $69.95.
Want to make your own broadcast but avoid the fees for Live365 or the complications of configuring your computer for SHOUTcast? Pirate Radio is an Internet broadcasting product which allows anyone to start their own Internet-based radio station. Or connect iPod photo ($349) to a TV for slideshows with music (and FM).
Community Blogs could make it happen. Movida and PlanetOut are developing content on cellular networks. Black Voices should be heard locally - and not on some chat room. Minority-owned media and community lan activitists WILL start a revolution. Like Al Jezeera.
Broadband on the splash page with geo-targeted RSS feeds. It’s the right thing to do.
SBC and Verizon are rolling out TV-capable fiber to compete with cable companies. But Verizon has been accused of redlining by Massachusetts Congressman Edward Markey. Free computers and free software are everywhere. One might ask if it’s truly necessary to establish a large bureaucracy to unwire a neighborhood.
You and your community could just do it.
Like PersonalTelco. Like SeattleWireless. Like hundreds of community LAN groups who are pioneering free community networks across the country and around the world.
