The PSC last month released a 97-page assessment of the state of the system that will serve as the foundation for the PSC's final report and recommendations.
The PSC is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the telecom plan Wednesday night in New York City; more hearings will take place around the state in the weeks to come.
The Connect New York Coalition, which sent a letter to Cuomo, includes activists as well as elected officials.
Mayor Miner, who is among the signatories to the letter, has been vocal in her criticisms of the PSC. (Her political relationship with Cuomo has been fractious.)
"We today ask you to join us in a concrete effort to protect and improve telecommunications in New York," says the letter, which asks Cuomo to sign on to the advocates' 2014 petition to the PSC, press its case to the panel and meet with the advocates to hear their grievances.
"The primary responsibility for telecommunications," the letter said, "remains with elected officials: The PSC through the Public Service Law has been granted certain powers. We believe that the PSC has not used those powers to address obvious and damaging consequences of its administrative deregulation. The Legislature and the governor must now speak and act on these issues."
Cuomo has made broadband expansion, especially upstate, a major agenda item for his second term.
Cuomo's press office referred questions to the PSC, whose spokesman is James Denn.
"The PSC is in fact exercising its authority in this rapidly changing area," Denn said. "It's currently holding statewide hearings so that the commission has a solid record to consider any policy changes to better ensure every New Yorker has access to high speed, quality and affordable Internet, cable and telecommunication services. The signatories of this letter have been informed many times that their petition is among the items being considered at these hearings – more of which were actually added at their request."
©2015 the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.), Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
