Referred to: The Laws and Rules, Governmental Services Committee (Chairman

Richard Parete and Legislators Donaldson, Greene, Roberts and Ronk)

Legislator David Donaldson and Legislators Allen, Archer, Bartels, Briggs, Greene,

Gregorius, Loughran, John Parete, Provenzano, Rodriguez, and Wishnick offer the

following:

WHEREAS, reliable, affordable, high-speed internet is a necessity, not a

luxury, in today's world, and the fastest, most reliable internet access is via fiberoptics; and

WHEREAS, the lack of high speed internet access required by local

businesses is discouraging them from expanding into Ulster County; and

WHEREAS, all businesses, schools and residents in Ulster County should not

be denied the same access and services that are readily available to consumers in

downstate New York; and

WHEREAS, Verizon is refusing to complete and expand the installation of its

fiber-optic cable in remaining portions of Ulster County, claiming that it cannot

justify the cost of the installation of fiber-optic cables, that hooking them up to the

homes of potential customers is expensive, and that it takes a long time for Verizon

to recover that investment; and

WHEREAS, despite such claims, FiOS is indeed profitable for Verizon; and

WHEREAS, New York State has appropriated $500 million dollars of

taxpayer monies in the State budget to enable Verizon to build a fiber-optic network

across the State; and

WHEREAS, Verizon is a public utility and controls rights-of-way and, as

such, has an obligation to provide high-speed services to all users; and

WHEREAS, the Public Service Commission has the regulatory authority to

demand that Verizon act if it fails to do so; and

WHEREAS, Legislative and public pressure upon Verizon would raise the

likelihood of it yielding to the demand the installation of fiber-optic cables and

completion of work already begun locally, thereby favoring and benefiting the

interests of consumers; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the Ulster County Legislature requests the Public Service

Commission to use their regulatory authority and direct Verizon to immediately take

all action necessary to deliver and make available to our community high speed

internet access via the installation of fiber-optics; and, be it further

RESOLVED, the Ulster County Legislature, on behalf of the residents of

Ulster County, requests that the New York State Assembly and Senate support this

action on behalf of their constituents,

and move its adoption.

 ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

 AYES: 20 NOES: 2

 (Noes: Legislators Belfiglio and Ronk)

 (1 Abstention: Legislator R. Parete)

Passed Committee: Laws and Rules, Governmental Services on August 17, 2015.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

NONE

STATE OF NEW YORK

 ss:

COUNTY OF ULSTER

I, the undersigned Clerk of the Legislature of the County of Ulster, hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is

the original resolution adopted by the Ulster County Legislature on the 18th Day of August in the year Two Thousand and

Fifteen, and said resolution shall remain on file in the office of said clerk.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of the County of Ulster this 19th Day of August

in the year Two Thousand and Fifteen.

|s| Victoria A. Fabella

Victoria A. Fabella, Clerk

Ulster County Legislature