To: NYC Council – Committee on TechnologyFrom: Zhi Keng He, Assistant Director of the NYC Civic Innovation Lab Re: Int 2158-2020 Watch the video on the City Council Website, fast forward to 1:36:25 to hear Zhi Keng He’s unabridged testimony I am glad to be here with my former professors and top GIS experts as […]
To: NYC Council – Joint committee hearing with Health, Technology, and AgingFrom: Noel Hidalgo, Executive Director Re: Covid-19 vaccinations and their websites (link to hearing) Wednesday, 17 February 2021 On behalf of the BetaNYC community, we would like to say thank you for hosting this open conversation. Thank you Council Members for all of your […]
BetaNYC has signed onto a collective letter that flags a number of concerns within Int. 1894-2020, a bill that would regulate the use of automated employment decision tools. November 11, 2020Hon. Laurie A. CumboNew York City Council Majority Leader via email RE: Int. 1894-2020 – Sale of Automated Employment Decision Tools. Dear Council Member Cumbo: […]
Important quotes to note from the NYC Internet Master Plan: “The private market has failed to deliver the internet in a way that works for all New Yorkers. Citywide, 29% of households do not have a broadband subscription at home. The same percentage of households are without a mobile broadband connection.” “…more than 1.5 million […]
Statement on Legislature’s Repeal of Police Secrecy Law 50-a and Modification of FOIL Our groups thank Assemblymember Danny O’Donnell and Jamaal Bailey, Speaker Carl Heastie, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and the Assembly and State Senate for passing S8496/A10611. Our groups strongly support this bill and ask Governor Cuomo to sign it immediately, without modification or chapter […]
To: NYC Council – Committee on Technology From: Noel Hidalgo, Executive Director of BetaNYC Re: Oversight hearing of Local Law 49 of 2018 (Open Algorithms Law) & Int 1806-2019 (aka ADS transparency) & Int 1447-2019 (aka data inventory) Thursday, 22 January 2020 “We […] want to ensure that New York City leads the way in ethical […]
City Hall – City Council Member Peter Koo today introduced legislation that would bring greater transparency and understanding to the automated decision systems used by city agencies to make mission-critical decisions affecting the daily lives of New Yorkers. Intro 1806 would require annual reporting on Automated Decision Systems (ADS), or the computerized implementation of one or more […]
(If you’re looking for a copy of others who presented testimony, scroll to the bottom.) To: NYC Council – Committee on Technology From: Noel Hidalgo, Executive Director of BetaNYC Re: Oversight hearing of Local Law 49 of 2018 (Open Algorithms Law) Thursday, 4 April 2019 “We […] want to ensure that New York City leads […]
To: NYC Charter Revision Commission From: Noel Hidalgo, Executive Director of BetaNYC Subject: Civic Engagement and Independent Redistricting Thursday, 21 June 2018 Where we are now: The 1989 Charter revision created COPIC, the Commission on Public Information and Communication. Its ideals were virtuous: educate the public about the availability and potential usefulness of city produced […]
Testimony to the New York City Council Governmental Operations Committee on the Publication of Online Reports and the Broadcasting of Mandatory Debates April 26, 2018 Good morning Chair Cabrera and members of the New York City Council Governmental Operations committee. My name is Alex Camarda, and I am the Senior Policy Advisor for Reinvent Albany. […]
