TESTIMONY
by MarySol Rodriguez, Director, Government Affairs
PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW YORK CITY

New York, New York
November 15, 2005

PDF 80K

Testimony before the New York City Council Land Use Committee

Good morning Chairperson Katz and members of the City Council. The Partnership appreciates the opportunity to offer testimony today. The point we hope to make is that a strong, redundant wireless communication system is absolutely essential to the continued growth of our city’s economy. For many years, New York’s wireless system was better and more universal than that of other cities, contributing to our competitive advantage in attracting businesses to locate and expand here. Today, other cities are catching up and even surpassing us when it comes to wireless infrastructure.

The Partnership hopes that the City Council’s attention to wireless communications will alert the public to the need to take this issue very seriously. This is a matter where a decision to restrict service providers from installation of equipment and facilities will have immediate consequences for our city, in terms of lost jobs and tax revenues. It is important that any legislation be based on independent research and careful analysis. We trust that the Council will act carefully on this matter and offer to try to gather information that you feel would be helpful to informing the legislative process.

Specifically, we want to register concern with Resolution 1035, which would require securing a special permit from the New York City Planning Commission for the installation of telephone exchanges or communications equipment in residential districts.

New York City’s central role in the national and global economy is very much defined by the strength of our telecommunications system. These are the tools of the trade of our city’s most important industries: financial services, media, and professional services. The speed and reliability of wireless access is a top priority in business location decisions in each of these sectors.

A report from the 2005 World Economic Forum at Davos cites Internet and cellular penetration as one of the variables in its index of business competitiveness. A recent ranking of U.S. cities by Popular Science Magazine included cell phone usage and wireless access as it identified the top ten “Technology Embracing Cities.” New York was not on the list. Setting up regulatory hurdles that will make it harder to deploy the equipment necessary for a robust system will not make it any easier for New York to make it on that list.

The Partnership is particularly concerned that this legislation could adversely affect development of the boroughs outside of Manhattan. As the city encourages the creation of secondary business districts and job-generating activities outside the Manhattan central business districts, those communities must have access to wireless services. This is particularly important in emerging business districts such as Hunts Point in the Bronx and Sunset Park in Brooklyn, where high-speed telecommunications connections are severely limited.

The City Economic Development Corporation’s Telecommunications Policy Advisory Group, of which the Partnership is a member, concluded in a report last year that during the next five years, wireless systems will play an increasingly important role in providing access to broadband services and that city government should help facilitate the deployment of wireless broadband by ensuring the zoning and building regulations do not unduly restrict placement of the required antennas.

In addition to broadband, businesses are increasingly reliant on different forms of cellular technology, such as the data technology used in BlackBerries and other forms of handheld computers. BlackBerries and similar technology increase productivity, which is particularly important in NYC's rapid paced business environment. Cellular technology also enables companies to utilize employees who work from home—so-called telecommuters. If this sector of the economy is to continue to grow, we must continue to build out the cellular network.

For New York City to maintain its competitiveness, our infrastructure must keep pace with the demands of the 21st century. When it comes to wireless access, we are in real danger of falling behind. That is why we urge the Council to take a balanced approach to this issue and to consider how to improve and increase the capacity and reliability of the existing system, rather than imposing new obstacles to its growth.

The Partnership for New York City (www.pfnyc.org) is a network of business leaders dedicated to enhancing the economy of the five boroughs of New York City and maintaining the city’s position as the global center of commerce, culture and innovation.