The Department of Public Service wants to hear from you about your internet service experience!

Take the survey at www.empirestatebroadband.com put together by New York State Department of Public Service and ECC Technologies to provide your internet service experience, and help show where there is greater need for internet service within New York State. The Department of Public Service wants to hear from you!

The Comprehensive Broadband Connectivity Act, enacted in May of this year, amended the Public Service Law to add a new section 224-c. Among other things, the Act requires the Public Service Commission (PSC or the Commission) to study the availability, reliability, and cost of high-speed internet and broadband services in New York state, and produce and publish on its website, a detailed internet access map of the state, indicating access to internet service by location. In addition, the Act requires the Commission to submit a report of its findings and recommendations from the study to the governor, and Senate and Assembly leaders in May 2022, and update the report annually thereafter.

The Department of Public Service (the Department or DPS), the Commission's staff arm, has hired ECC Technologies (ECC), a New York State based company with expertise in technology and communications consulting services, to gather the necessary data to develop the detailed internet access map and to produce the report of findings and recommendations related to the availability, reliability, and cost of high-speed internet and broadband services in New York state. ECC will use data collected from internet service providers, data gathered from its own field activities, and data collected from consumers to form the basis for the broadband map and report.

The Department and ECC will employ an online broadband service survey as the main element of the consumer data gathering effort. Consumers completing the survey will provide valuable information back to DPS and ECC on the status of broadband services availability and use at their homes and businesses. The survey is easy to follow and takes less than 10 minutes to complete. The survey webpage also includes an optional broadband speed test, whereby consumers can test their current broadband connection for upload and download speed. The weblink for the online survey can be found at: www.empirestatebroadband.com.