The Brian Lehrer Show

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Apartment Buildings and the Cable Monopoly

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

The federal government may strike down thousands of contracts between buildings and their sole cable providers to increase competition and decrease price. How will this affect NYC apartment dwellers? Also, Michael Balboni advocates for Spitzer's driver's license proposal; changes to the gifted and talented program in the city's public schools; Bliss Broyard on learning the family secret that transformed her from WASP to “woman of color;” and residency requirements for city employees.

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Three Tiers of ID

Michael Balboni, Deputy Secretary for Public Safety for the State of New York, discusses the three types of identification in the current Spitzer proposal: one for driver's licenses, one for illegal immigrants, and a final, more enhanced ID for international border crossings.

Changes to the Gifted and Talented Program

Elizabeth Green, reporter for the New York Sun, and Robin Aronow, founder of School Search NYC discuss changes to the gifted and talented program by the Department of Education.

Lowering Your Cable Bill?

Harold Feld, Senior Vice President at the Media Access Project, joins us to discuss the recent FCC decision to end exclusive deals between landlords and cable companies.

Passing Secrets

Bliss Broyard, author of One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life--A Story of Race and Family Secrets (Little, Brown and Company, 2007) learned her father, New York Times Book Review editor Anatole Broyard, was black--just before his death in 1990.

One Drop is available for purchase at Amazon.com

City Workers, City Residents?

City council member Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-32) chairs the Civil Service & Labor Committee; he supports keeping the NYC residency requirement that applies to some members of DC 37, the municipal workers' union. Wanda Williams, DC 37's Director of Political Advocacy, favors lifting the requirement.

Councilman Addabbo's webpage