Buffalo's Commissioner of Public Works Steve Stepniak called on the Common Council yesterday, Tuesday the 22nd, to begin the process of studying the viability of a municipal network in Buffalo.
We couldn't be more pleased.
While the Council already passed a resolution back in March calling for a consultant to be brought in, this is still a victory and another step forward. Besides demonstrating further support among public officials, it also increases general awareness among the public (part of what we're trying to do here).
We would love to see the Council move forward with the funding of a consultant. It may be too late for the City to piggyback on the work of the County's consultant, but we still believe that the City and County can collaborate.
With any project, as we've mentioned, knowing your resources and what's available, or asset mapping, is one of the first steps. Sharing data sets and various resources can help us get a clearer picture of the landscape here in WNY. With a better understanding of our assets and anticipated challenges, the County and City together can save both time and money.
The coordination can certainly go beyond that. If they're feeling particularly collaborative, they can join Next Century Cities together. Mayor Brown could also extend his support to the County Legislature stating his intent to work hand-in-hand with them in their drive for better broadband in our region. That would really move things forward.
2016 is gong to be a very exciting year.
- Cola'/Sanjay
