News Flash

We are seeking applications from qualified residents of the City of Albany for the following position:

Title of Positions                    

Member, Albany Commission on Municipal Internet Service – Five (5) openings.

Term of Appointment

Appointments are for a two-year term.  

City of Albany Commission on Municipal Internet Service

The mission of the commission is to research the feasibility, logistics, and financing of creating a municipally-run, citizen-owned high speed internet service that will provide internet speeds far greater than what private companies currently provide and ensure such service will be made available to every Albany resident and business, regardless of income level or geographic location in the City.

Creating high-speed, reliable, affordable, and citizen-owned internet service has shown to be a major economic boost in municipalities where such infrastructure exists. Providing this service would also serve as a significant benefit in every neighborhood in Albany, particularly in neighborhoods where unemployment and poverty rates are high. affordable, reliable internet access gives individuals, among a host of other benefits, the ability to more easily search for employment, work from their homes, and take online higher education courses.

The marketplace for internet access lacks any true competition. Residents are faced with expensive plans that provide sub-par internet speeds. Chattanooga, Tennessee serves a model for municipally-run internet service. That city’s average download speed is over 100 megabytes per second. In Albany, the average download speed is a little over 20 megabytes per second. Establishing a successful citizen-owned internet service would be an enormous help to attracting new small businesses and residents to Albany, which means a significant increase of our tax base, more thriving commercial centers, and give Albany a major competitive advantage over surrounding municipalities.

With significant economic and community development opportunity in mind, the Mayor is determined to establish the “City of Albany Commission on Municipal Internet Service” for the purpose of researching all the necessary elements of creating a municipal internet service and seize this opportunity and move towards quality internet for all.

Position Responsibilities/Duties:

Individuals appointed to the Commission on Municipal Internet Service will attend scheduled meetings on an as needed basis to develop a report that will detail any and all research and recommendations to the City of Albany about the feasibility of financing a City owned high speed internet service. The commission will make all findings and recommendations to the Mayor and the Common Council regarding the creation of such infrastructure, costs, available financing, logistics and feasibility. 

Statutory Authority: 

Sec. 1 Chapter 42 of the Code of the City of Albany, Part 39.

Application Requirement:    

Interested applicants must submit a letter of interest describing qualifications and a current resume to:

Applicants will be interviewed 

Deadline for applications: Close of business, Friday, April 30, 2021

Police Statement

The Office of the Mayor is committed to assuring that its appointments to City boards, authorities or commissions is representative of the diversity of Albany’s population. Consistent with the City of Albany Human Rights Law, it is the policy of the Office of the Mayor to prohibit discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability, marital or domestic partner status in all aspects of its personnel policies, programs, practices and operations.