Today, Public Advocate Letitia James called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to protect Lifeline, a program that provides subsidized phone and internet services to millions of low-income Americans, including over 1 million New Yorkers. In a letter to the FCC, Public Advocate James urged the Commission to reject a series of proposals that would significantly defund the program, and drastically reduce the number of Americans able to afford basic phone and internet service.

Council Member Margaret Chin said, “Seniors in Lower Manhattan are no stranger to this program, and for many these recipients, Lifeline also serves as a key tool to complete various daily tasks — including paying the bills, applying for affordable housing and completing their annual public housing recertification. I urge the FCC to protect this vital program and support proposals that fight for internet access and equity for every American — regardless of age or income level — and encourage fellow New Yorkers concerned about the future of the Lifeline program to make their voices heard to FCC before the February 21st deadline.”

“The FCC’s current proposals for cutting back the Lifeline program will inflict a cruel blow to low-income households,” said Caroline Laskow, District Leader, Assembly District 65 Part A. “It is a joke to pretend that phone and broadband services are anything but a necessity, whether for work or homework, for education or a job application. Without proper access to the digital world, low-income communities are increasingly left out and left behind. We must protect these consumers who are being unjustly targeted by the FCC with proposals that would serve to literally disconnect and disempower them.”

“Families should not have to worry that they will no longer be able to keep in touch with loved ones, or fear that in case of emergency they can not afford a telephone,” said Lee Berman, District Leader, Assembly District 65 Part A. “Nor should children in low-income families have yet another stumbling block put in their way when trying to learn. Without the ability to participate in the Lifeline program’s broadband discount for participating households, the working poor find it yet again harder to just keep up. Low-income children should have the same access to the internet, to do their homework and to study and research using broadband as the rest of America does.”

The Lifeline program was created in 1985 under President Reagan and serves nearly 13 million low-income Americans, including more than over 1 million New Yorkers. Access to a telephone is not only a key connection to opportunities and loved ones, but also a safety necessity during emergencies. With Lifetime subscribers earning an average of just $14,000 a year, the proposed changes to the program would have significant impacts on their ability to continue affording basic service.

Our Committee-palooza! at the beginning of the year was a very productive evening. Members split up into break-out sessions for each of our standing committees, defined at least two near-term goals, and outlined specific action steps to take for each.

The basic goal of Grand Street Democrats is straightforward: support (and create where necessary) an infrastructure of local activists that can raise issues, amplify local voices, and pressure officials for change. The strength of that infrastructure will come from fully engaged members with a real sense of ownership for our shared goals. So active committee participation is essential to bringing about the change we want.

Here’s what we’ll be working on right away:

Policy and Social Action (PSAC)

• Traffic & congestion pricing. We’ve started this effort with our Traffic Town Hall, but this challenge is not going away and the solutions are not obvious or easy to implement. We will continue to pressure our local elected officials and the Department of Transportation to send Williamsburg Bridge traffic to more appropriate avenues.
• Judicial elections. One of the important roles local Democratic clubs play in our civic structure is to nominate judicial delegates and help select our judges. This process happens largely without voters’ active participation, so it’s our job to be engaged in these decisions.
• Communication with elected officials. We want to make sure our elected officials have ample opportunity to address local residents directly — and vice versa. We’re starting with an Albany Report on February 8 with our two state representatives, Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou and State Senator Brian Kavanagh.

Big D

• Partnership with Sister District. Ours is a Democratic stronghold, unlikely to elect a Republican in the foreseeable future. So if we want to turn our energy to addressing progressive change across the country, Sister District is a national organization that could be a perfect partner. We hope to help elect progressive Democrats in other parts of the country who can really turn the tide in the U.S. Congress.
• Youth vote initiative. When young people vote, more Democrats are elected. By creating a video campaign and partnering with other organizations focused on educating and registering young people, we can contribute to a generational shift that will make this country more progressive.

Civics and Education

• Civics trivia and guide to local politics. By helping more of our neighbors learn the ins and outs of local government, we can support a more active political community. We’ll start on March 5 with a Pub Night + Trivia at Lucky Jack’s on Orchard, then bring trivia games to other events around the neighborhood.
• Register more Democrats. You may think of yourself as an independent, but if you are not registered as a Democrat in this neighborhood you don’t get to vote in primaries — which means, essentially, your vote is not going to count. To keep residents engaged, we believe everyone should register as a Democrat.

The Nabe

• Historic preservation. Our neighborhood has a deep heritage that speaks not only to the history of our city but the history of our country — yet there is no historic neighborhood defined in the Lower East Side to preserve and celebrate that heritage. Working with LESPI and the City Council, we will seek to get historic acknowledgement for some of the tenement blocks in the neighborhood before it all disappears.
• Zoning and development. This neighborhood is at the beginning of a major period of development. While recognizing that new development can be an improvement to the area, we will advocate for appropriate zoning to make sure that the special character of this neighborhood is not lost.
• Neighborhood beautification. By partnering with our local parks and finding new ways to keep our streets looking sharp and fresh, we hope to keep this neighborhood livable and vital.

Outreach

• Partner with other neighborhood groups. Our specific district (AD 65 Part A) is narrowly drawn, but the issues we care about are shared by our diverse community. We want to make sure we are reaching out beyond any one affinity group to bring a broad coalition of progressives together.
• Partner with local businesses. We want to promote and support local businesses, and ask them to promote and support us — political goals like safer streets and better traffic management affects us all.

Events

• Women’s March 2018. We put together a strong local contingent for the Women’s March this year, and will look for similar opportunities.
• Trivia Night March 5. We’ll be holding a night out at Lucky Jack’s, featuring CivEd trivia.
• Partner with parks. June 6 is Family Fun Day at Corlears Park, and GSD will be preparing some games and educational material.

We expect all members to join at least one committee and participate actively in its projects — or bring your own idea and start a new project. We’re in it for the long haul, and hope you are too!

Thanks to everyone who came out to march this weekend!

Thanks for marching with District Leader @carolinelaskow & @grandstreetdems! Thanks to all who marched everywhere. This is what democracy looks like. #GSDMarches #womensmarchnyc #actinglocalthinkingglobal ?: @patarnow

A post shared by Grand Street Democrats (@grandstreetdems) on Jan 21, 2018 at 7:49am PST