SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Janet Burman’s message to the City of Syracuse on improving internet access is clear — stay out of it. Her competitors, Ben Walsh and Khalid Bey, believe government involvement could be a solution.
Walsh, the incumbent Independent, and Bey, the Democratic nominee, believe that the City of Syracuse should provide internet access through a municipal broadband network to neighborhoods with low amounts of internet access, as well as those who are unable to afford the internet.
Burman, a Republican, says she disagrees with Walsh and Bey on the idea of municipal internet, believing that the private sector has the capability of bringing consistent broadband access to the city’s neighborhoods.
“There is no need for the city to become an internet service provider,” Burman said. “Instead, ensuring that high-speed Internet is affordable to all, there should be a voucher program for low-income families or subsidy payments along the lines of the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), which provides financial assistance for electric and natural gas utility services.”
Burman said that municipal broadband is not “cost-effective,” and that 5G-based internet services will emerge and help better connect citizens.
For Mayor Walsh, his plan for improving internet access involves a mesh of public infrastructure and private competition, including partnerships with telecommunications giants Verizon and AT&T.
“We are not pursuing one silver bullet solution, we’re trying to establish a fountain of connectivity around our city that helps us to ensure that everyone’s connected,” Walsh said at a recent forum.
Khalid Bey, who also is on the Common Council, believes that Walsh’s administration has been slow in attempting to get municipal broadband off the ground. He wants the city to go straight into building out a broadband network, instead of a preliminary trial program.
“We know what our need is, we know where the drop spots are throughout the city,” Bey said. “We know the number of people who are lacking in terms of their connectivity. [Municipal broadband is] a smart infrastructure investment, and we should do it as soon as we can.”
The councilor also attacked Charter Communications, the dominant internet service provider in the region, and its Spectrum service. Bey believes the company is not doing its best when it comes to providing affordable and consistent access to the internet throughout the city of Syracuse.
“Spectrum currently has service throughout the City of Syracuse,” a spokesperson from Charter said in an email response to an NCC News inquiry.
The spokesperson also said that last year, Charter enhanced its network to allow for an additional reach of 131,000 homes in New York State. She added that Charter also announced a $5 billion investment to connect families and small businesses nationwide in what they said is an effort “to further close the broadband access gap.”
NCC News requested to speak with a regional representative from Verizon Communications regarding its’ Fios service in the City of Syracuse. Verizon has not responded to our request for comment.
