Should broadband be regulated like a utility? By Susan Arbetter New York State PUBLISHED 5:21 PM ET May. 19, 2021 PUBLISHED 5:21 PM EDT May. 19, 2021
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COVID has illustrated just how critical internet service is to American life. This new awareness has prompted an even greater push to regulate the internet in New York like a utility, similar to phone or electricity service.
Assemblymember Nily Rozic (D-Queens) and Senator Sean Ryan (D-Buffalo) have proposed a bill to authorize the Public Service Commission (PSC) to oversee broadband, as well as “Voice over Internet Protocol,” or VoIP. The legislation is called the “New York Broadband Resilience, Public Safety and Quality Act.”
By Susan Arbetter Hoosick Falls UPDATED 8:14 PM ET May. 14, 2021 PUBLISHED 6:07 PM ET May. 14, 2021 PUBLISHED 6:07 PM EDT May. 14, 2021
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The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) had its shot last night during a public forum to convince the residents of the Village of Hoosick Falls that its chosen water source proposal is the best option for them.
You may remember that this eastern New York communityâs drinking water was contaminated by PFOA from two companies: St. Gobain and Honeywell, leading to its designation as a Superfund site.
It has taken years, but the DEC is finally proposing that the polluters pay for two new ground water wells south of Hoosick Falls, each outfitted with a granular activated carbon filtration system or GAC.
One SUNY student said if officials really want to reduce exposure on campuses by forcing students to get vaccinated, then all segments of the higher education community should be required to get a jab.
âI feel like thatâs messed up ⦠Itâs not fair that they can choose not to get it, Madison Mack, a senior international relations major at Buffalo State, said of SUNY employees not be covered by the vaccination edict.
Extending the mandatory vaccine order for SUNY employees would run into unions representing those workers that have something college students donât have: political might. SUNY last year enforced mandatory testing for students in certain cases, while, according to one SUNY document, such testing was âstrongly recommendedâ per written understandings between SUNY and various unions representing employees at the college system.
5:03
It is hard not to despair about the looming climate catastrophe caused by global warming. The world keeps moving past warnings and climate milestones and the nation’s political processes seem incapable of taking the necessary aggressive actions.
The political, public relations, and economic might of the oil, coal, and gas industries has for decades undermined environmental laws and bamboozled the public about the dangers of a rapidly warming planet – dangers that they knew were real since the 1970s. Today their influence may be diminished, but they are still incredibly powerful.
No one can re-write that history, so here we are. The world must either shift to a non-fossil fuel-powered economy or the world as we know it will cease to exist.
4:16
New York officials and consumer activists say it should be easier for the average person and small business to repair certain electronics.
The Digital Fair Repair Act allows individuals and small businesses to repair digital devices ranging from smartphones, computers, farm equipment to household appliances.
Backers say products from companies like Apple and Samsung can only be repaired by the manufacturer or by a sanctioned third party, often so expensive a fix that it makes more sense to purchase a new device.
Louis Rossman owns a fix-it shop in Manhattan and he firmly supports the legislation, citing a 2019 MacBook that retails for $2,000.