Editorial
Op-ed
Crunch time in mayor’s race
Six weeks out from a most crucial election
in New York City, and it seems
that the majority of this city’s voters
have no idea who is best fi t to lead the Big
Apple over the next four years.
The latest poll in the Democratic primary
for mayor shows a completely wide
open race. Not one of the 13 candidates
garnered more than 20% of the support
of those surveyed by Emerson College and
PIX11 News, and 23% of the respondents
said they’re not sure who to support.
The primary winner is most likely going
to cruise to victory in the November election
in this heavily Democratic city. The
numbers speak for themselves: more than
3.5 million registered Democrats live in the
fi ve boroughs, compared to just 566,000
Republicans and a little more than a million
independent voters.
Whoever wins the June 22 primary is
almost a shoo-in for Gracie Mansion next
year. But to have as much as a fi fth of the
electorate still undecided about the next
mayor is a glaring indictment about the
state of the contest.
We sincerely hope this isn’t a case of
voter apathy rearing its ugly head again.
In 2017, the most recent municipal
election, just 21.7% of the city’s registered
voters bothered to cast a vote. That number
spiked to 40% the next year in the national
midterm elections, and 53.4% for the 2020
presidential election.
New York did a fabulous job getting out
the vote in major elections of the last four
years, but we must do better when it comes
to the other elections that count.
In many respects, whoever occupies Gracie
Mansion or the City Council chamber
will have a more direct impact on our daily
lives than the powers that be in Washington
and Albany. From complex issues like real
estate zoning and infrastructure projects, to
the basics like policing and education, who
we send to represent us in city government
is going to make all the difference.
We’ve got six weeks to fi gure it out.
Let’s focus on the elections in our city,
our borough and neighborhood. Let’s get
the facts about the candidates to make an
informed decision about how we want our
city to function.
And when the polls open on June 22 (or,
for early voting, June 12), let’s get out there
and vote.
Publisher of The Villager, Villager Express, Chelsea Now,
Downtown Express and Manhattan Express
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VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA SCHNEPS
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Time to expand
broadband for all
New Yorkers
BY J. PHILLIP THOMPSON AND
JOHN PAUL FARMER
Take a second and think of all the
ways, big and small, your daily life
has changed over this past year. Our
offi ce meetings have turned into Zoom
conferences. Our children turned to online
lessons as schools closed. Instead of visiting
parents and loved ones, we checked in with
a phone call or a video chat, if we were
lucky. And with in-person doctor’s visits
limited, so many of us turned to telemedicine
to get the physical and mental support
we needed.
What do all of those changes have in
common?
They would not have been possible without
quality, reliable broadband, which is
something so many New Yorkers take for
granted. Broadband is the electricity of the
21st century. But for too long, it has been
treated as a luxury instead of the utility
that it is. Entering the pandemic, 40% of
New Yorkers lacked a combination of home
and mobile broadband. And more than 1.5
million people in our city lacked any form
of high-speed internet connectivity.
It is long past time for every New Yorker
to have affordable, reliable broadband in
their home. On May 17, the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) launched
a new program called the Emergency
Broadband Benefi t to help low-income
New Yorkers and Americans connect in the
short term. If you are a New Yorker without
broadband, call 311 as soon as possible and
we will help you apply if you qualify – the
program is fi rst-come, fi rst-served until
funding is gone.
This is a great immediate step. But it’s
PHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES
only part of what needs to be done over the
long term – and as we recover from COVID
and build a fairer, more equitable City, we
must go much further. This past year has
shown us that broadband is a racial justice
issue, and one of the defi ning civil rights
issues of our time. Which New York City
neighborhoods have been disconnected?
The same Black and Brown communities
that have been systematically discriminated
against; historically underserved
by large corporations; and hit hardest by
COVID-19.
We have already taken massive steps to
bridge the digital divide. But we cannot
close the digital divide alone.
We need the private sector to shift trajectory
and join the City’s in reaching its
vision for equitable connectivity. We need
the federal government to not just provide
emergency stopgaps but to create long-term
solutions. The Biden-Harris Administration
has a long road ahead to transform
the broken broadband marketplace but
should use the NYC Internet Master Plan
as a blueprint for real system change across
the nation. Congress too must take leadership
by recognizing that broadband is as
essential in the 21st century as electricity
was in the 20th century and should be
given the same status as a utility.
The Federal Communication Commission’s
attempts at real system change, to
categorize broadband as a utility- recognizing
it as essential to everyday living as
electricity- have been blocked by the courts.
It’s time for Congress to step in.
J. Phillip Thompson is the Deputy Mayor
of the City of New York. John Paul Farmer
is the Chief Technology Offi cer of the City
of New York
8 May 20, 2021 Schneps Media
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