BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown spent part of Thursday afternoon talking to lawmakers in Washington about what the city needs for infrastructure improvements.
He testified at a hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee, where he was asked about the potential benefit of the President Joe Biden's $100 billion plan to expand high-speed broadband.
"When we talk about broadband, we only need to look at the experience of Buffalo during the pandemic, when we went to remote learning in the Buffalo Public Schools, and there were thousands of children in the Buffalo Public School District that did not have access to the internet," the mayor said.
"We needed help from the private sector, and clearly makes the case for resources needed from the federal government to address the digital divides."
That private sector help he mentioned was a deal with the Buffalo Bills and Spectrum to get internet to those kids, but that deal ends at the end of the school year.
The mayor was invited by U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins to discuss the importance of broadband investment in the city, lead pipe replacement, and why the city has been strapped for cash when trying to make these repairs.
"Since the 1960s, Buffalo's tax base, like that of many manufacturing cities, changed rapidly," he said. "Suburban development drew a significant group of people and denied cities that base that they relied on to fund services, maintain property values, and attract employers."
Mayor Brown said Wednesday he is hoping to secure half a billion dollars for the City of Buffalo.