Connect NY Coalition

The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) thinks that telecom deregulation and the “marketplace” are working well for New Yorkers.  They claim that there is competition to provide quality broadband, cable and phone service in NY – when in most places throughout the state it just isn’t so.  

That’s why we’re organizing a statewide grassroots campaign to put the Public back into the Public Service Commission.  Partnering with consumer advocates, elected officials, and labor, our Connect NY Coalition seeks to improve the provision of phone, internet, and cable service in NY State.

This summer, Common Cause NY activists and members of the Connect NY Coalition came out in large numbers to the Public Service Commission’s hearings on the state of telecommunications in New York. Despite the fact that the hearings were held during the months of July and August, with little notice, and often in remote locations, the frustrations of average New Yorkers was apparent.

Here is Common Cause NY’s testimony from the Public Service Commission hearing in Buffalo, NY on August 5th, 2015.

We sent out two surveys to our members, one in April 2015 around New York City residents’ experiences with the failed FiOS rollout, and the other was distributed in September 2015 which addressed all New York State members internet options and service quality.

Read the results of those surveys here.

As we move into 2016, we expect this issue to remain in focus for Common Cause NY. A statewide Assembly hearing has already been scheduled for January 2016.

Email Josh at jmumm@commoncause.org for more information, to share your story, or to get involved.