Don’t Bribe ‘Em. Buy ‘Em: A strategic proposal on how New Yorkers can...
NOTE: This is the full text of the paper written by ILSR’s David Morris and Daniel Kraker and published in November 1998 Inthe next two years, New Yorkers will spend nearly $50 million dollars to...
View ArticleAlbany County Declines Wal-Mart Donation
Citing Wal-Mart’s failure to provide a decent wage and health benefits for most of its employees, the Albany (New York) County Legislature voted in March to decline a $1,000 donation from the...
View ArticleNeighborhood Retailers Aim to Keep New York Wal-Mart Free
“The entry of Wal-Mart into New York City is the biggest challenge to neighborhood businesses and local communities in our city’s history,” contends Richard Lipsky, head of the Neighborhood Retail...
View ArticleTurn on the Electric Road
Turn on the Electric Road by David Morris, Vice President Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) October 8, 2006 – published in the New York Times Last summer, New York State took a page from...
View ArticleNew York Requires Amazon to Collect Sales Tax
Included in the state budget passed this week by the New York legislature is a provision that requires online retailers, including Amazon.com, to collect state and local sales taxes. Independent...
View ArticleBigger Bang from Independents’ Bucks
By Stacy Mitchell and Jim Gile, originally published in the Times Union, June 19, 2008 The Capital Region’s future would be much better served by fostering the growth of locally owned businesses,...
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Thurman, New York – White Space Test Case
Thurman, New York, like many other rural communities, has little or no access to broadband. Many of the 1,219 residents still use dial-up. According to a recent town survey, less than 25% of the...
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Five Cities Denounce Verizon/Comcast Spectrum Deal
If you live in Boston, Baltimore, Albany, Syracuse, or Buffalo, you won't be getting FiOS from Verizon. Absent any public investment, you will likely be stuck with DSL and cable... like 80% of the...
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Verizon Plans to Abandon Copper Wires In Islands Damaged by Sandy
Victims of Sandy are still recovering from the killer storm that ripped through the east coast last year. Two places hardest hit by the "Frankenstorm" were Fire Island, New York and the Barrier Island...
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IP Transition Catches Fire Island – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode #52
We welcome Harold Feld, Senior Vice President of Public Knowledge back to the show to discuss the latest update in the so-called IP Transition. Back in episode 32, Harold explained the five...
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Verizon Caught Forcing Customers to Take Voice Link Service Across New York
The war over keeping copper alive rages on in New York with more stealthy antics from Verizon. Stop the Cap! now reports that, rather than wait for a hurricane to take out the copper lines in the...
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NYC Mayor Bloomberg Announces Free Wi-Fi is Coming to Harlem
The City of New York plans to deploy free Wi-Fi in a 95-city-block radius in Harlem. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the plan on December 10. According to the press release, the project will be...
View ArticleHow Solar Saves on Grid Costs – Episode 13 of Local Energy Rules
“We can avoid that $100 million investment in transmission lines, distribution lines, in capital infrastructure…” How can a utility like Long Island Power Authority avoid all that new capital...
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Worth Reading: The Nation Promotes Community Networks in New York
This post got lost in our system but we still wanted to publish it. The Nation ran an article by Maya Wiley, founder of the Center for Social Inclusion, calling on New York's Mayor de Blasio to bring...
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Crain’s New York Business: New York City Conduit Jam Packed
Crain's New York Business recently published an article on the crowded conduit under New York City. The article complements the April 7 edition of This Week in Crain's New York podcast, hosted by Don...
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New York Media’s MetroFocus Talks With Chris About City Wi-Fi
In an effort to bring better connectivity to New Yorkers, the City is transforming old pay phones into free Wi-Fi hotspots. Rick Karr, reporter for MetroFocus from New York Public Media, reached out...
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Vote Expected Today on Blackburn Amendment Targeting Munis; Call D.C. Now!
Last night, GOP Representative Marsha Blackburn, introduced an amendment intended to destroy local authority for telecommunications investment by severely limiting FCC funding. The amendment,...
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Syracuse Mayor Calls for Community Broadband
Syracuse, a city long frustrated by its lack of broadband options and in thrall to a monopolistic cable incumbent Time Warner Cable, is facing an even bleaker future. Comcast’s proposed merger with...
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Calls Grow for Community Network in Syracuse
Last week, we noted some comments made by Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner indicating her interest in a municipal broadband network and her promise to develop a plan for how to build it. Now it appears...
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Verizon Caught Forcing Customers to Take Voice Link Service Across New York
The war over keeping copper alive rages on in New York with more stealthy antics from Verizon. Stop the Cap! now reports that, rather than wait for a hurricane to take out the copper lines in the...
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