WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (March 28, 2019) – The Westchester County Association (WCA) and Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation (HVEDC) held thought-provoking panel discussions at their Investing in Our Digital Future: Exploring the Impacts of Next Gen Technology event earlier this week.
“Today our conversation will focus on the direct impact of high speed and wireless technology on economic development, workforce development, healthcare and, of course, our educational system,” said WCA President and CEO William M. Mooney, Jr. during his welcome address at the event held at the IBM Learning Center in Armonk.
He told the audience of approximately 100 that it comes down to a matter of access, citing the digital divide – the disparity of digital access based on income – and said that 15-20 percent of students live in homes that do not have access to computers or have digital service. “Can you imagine going home after attending school all day and not being able to do your homework? We are depriving a whole set of people from getting the education they should.”
Westchester County Executive George Latimer, during his opening remarks, called on the municipal governments and county governments to work with the business community to close the gap in the digital divide. “This digital divide, if we can narrow it, that is, as Jack Kennedy once said, the rising tide that raises all boats…. We are not going to function well in the years to come, as a society or as individuals, unless we accept and grasp the changes that are happening in technology. And understanding how Westchester can take a leap ahead of whatever our competitors are out there, friendly competitors if they are, this becomes a challenge of county government as well as a challenge for our business community. So, Bill’s leadership on this is critical.”
Mike Oates, President and CEO of HVEDC, led a panel of experts from Westchester County, the Hudson Valley and New York State, and they discussed the impacts of high-speed broadband and wireless technology (5G) on economic development, workforce development, healthcare and our educational system.
Oates began with, “It is a good cross section of business and community leaders from Westchester and the other six counties that make up the Hudson Valley. I would like to thank the County Executive for joining us. Certainly, his leadership is very important to us and will help us move forward to shape policy and really tackle this digital divide not only here in Westchester, but also throughout the Hudson Valley.”
Christopher Fisher, Esq., Managing Partner, Cuddy & Feder and founding member of the New York State Wireless Association, led the second panel of industry professionals from broadband, Telcom and wireless companies. They explored the current legal and technical state of the marketplace and how changes in law and technology are dramatically affecting deployment of private capital as part of municipal franchises, local right of way access, regulatory options, and public/private partnering all driven by overarching U.S. policy.
“Speed counts, even at home. We’re in just the early innings. We’re in right now a period of transformative change,” Fisher said. “Many are calling it the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It involves a global competitive race for economic growth and security.” 5G, fiber network and corresponding technologies will have an impact on the U.S. gross domestic product by trillions of dollars and create millions of jobs, he said.
Event panelists included:
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- Bea Grause, President and CEO, Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS)
- Christopher Fisher, Esq., Immediate Past Chair of the New York State Wireless Association and Managing Partner, Cuddy & Feder
- Joseph Ricca, Superintendent, White Plains School District
- Terry Kirchner, Executive Director, Westchester Library System
- Bob Cacace, COO/CIO, City of Yonkers
- Carl Busseno, Radio Access Network Director, NY/NJ Market, AT&T
- Chris Levendos, VP Engineering & Operations, Crown Castle
- Craig Johnson, VP Government Affairs, Altice USA
- Brian Kurkowski, Principal Member of Technical Staff, FirstLight
- Mike Oates, President & CEO, Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp.
The event was sponsored by Compufit, Cuddy & Feder, Westchester County Office of Economic Development, AT&T and FirstLight.
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