TECHNOLOGY
As an Information Technology (IT) professional, technology issues are close
to my heart. Advancing technology in all areas, including sciences, the arts,
education, and media, is key to a forward-moving society. I have a particular
awareness of the great benefits this sector of the economy has brought to
New York City. Beginning in the 1990s, the birth of Silicon Alley gave rise
to well-paying jobs for many thousands of people and drew talent from all
over the world. Computers and e-mail have helped to vastly improve productivity
in all businesses. The Internet has allowed our children to access research
and learning materials with an ease we couldn’t even imagine just ten
years ago.
I will use my IT skills to develop a portal that organizes vital information
for NYC residents to read and study on their home computers -- including
reports on affordable housing opportunities, health care, employment, etc.
Plus, I will focus on work in the following IT areas:
Retaining and Growing Technology Businesses
The tech sector provides high-quality, well-paying jobs for consultants,
designers, programmers, and countless more talented people. New York
City has been hard hit in recent years by the bursting of the Internet
stock bubble, which led to many lost jobs. This may have been a necessary
and natural correction, some experts say. But now we must make sure that
those businesses remain rooted in New York City and are not tempted to
relocate to other tech centers like Austin, Silicon Valley or San Francisco.
New York must continue to compete in this highly desirable area. I will
propose the creation of high-tech zoning districts to encourage IT industry
growth so that New York can keep the IT companies we have and also attract
more businesses by making Manhattan an affordable center of commerce
and living.
Affordable Broadband
Broadband internet access has become cheaper in recent years, but it is
still out of reach for many families who can't afford to pay for both
the connections and the charges that sometimes cost up to $50 per month.
I
will use my office to encourage competition among local providers so that
consumers have a choice of companies at a range of prices.
Outsourcing
There are many companies that receive tax incentives from the city, state
and federal government to create jobs. But in recent years, those companies
have shifted jobs overseas while continuing to receive incentives from
our government. As Manhattan Borough President, I will lobby our legislators
to take away the tax incentives for companies that outsource abroad.
Wireless City
The city of the future will allow all citizens easy use of WIMAX, MobileFi,
and WiFi technologies. A handful of municipalities around the country
have gone wireless, most recently and most aggressively Philadelphia,
which plans to be a completely wireless city by 2006. This means that
from anywhere in the city, anyone with a laptop or desktop capable of
receiving a wireless signal will be able to access the internet. This
is truly the wave of the future and a great public works project. It
will surely enhance productivity and learning in Philadelphia.
As Manhattan Borough President, my office will study the Philadelphia
model as it unrolls and make a proposal for a similar project in New York.
This may include proposals to lease light poles or rooftops to provide
broadband to underserved areas where infrastructure might be too expensive
to install.
IT Advisory Board
As Manhattan Borough President, I will create a new IT Advisory Board made
up of industry professionals, local BIDs, Chambers of Commerce, and industry
associations. This board will serve to promote high tech industries and
to educate local businesses about broadband and other technologies.
Telecommunications Infrastructure
Our city’s telecommunications infrastructure is 100 years old. It
is owned and managed by Verizon. To build and promote our high tech industries,
we must upgrade this infrastructure, where necessary, and foresee potential
problems. One great benefit of upgrades will be the increased viability
of DSL, which will allow New Yorkers high speed access to the internet
in the most affordable way.
Electoral Upgrades
During my work with the Board of Elections, it became clear to me that
we need new technologies to make voting easy and accurate. As Manhattan
Borough President, I will lobby local and state legislators to explore
the use of optical scanning technologies for voting. This is a viable
and less expensive alternative than the proposed electronic voting machines
which do not provide a solid paper trail. We must make sure that the
public has confidence in the integrity of our voting system if we want
them to participate. We must not repeat the mistakes of Florida in the
2000 national elections and Ohio in 2004. So I will lobby our legislators
to claim federal monies that are available to the state for the purposes
of upgrading our voting machinery.
Low-Cost Computer-Purchasing Programs
Toward the end of the 1990s, it became a popular perk for corporations
to offer low-cost desktop or laptop computers to all employees for their
homes. The result was that many employees of these companies, some of
whom may not have been able to afford a computer at market rates, were
able to purchase computers and printers. This is one benefit that truly
trickled down. Whole families were able to come online. Unfortunately,
with the decline in the economy, many companies have cut these special
offers. As part of my public/private initiative, I will lobby corporations
to restart these offers and to expand them to include partnerships with
public organizations.
