Letter Report on the Installation of LinkNYC Kiosks in New York City as Provided by CityBridge, LLC
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The objective of this audit was to determine whether CityBridge installed the Kiosks with the required key features. According to the City’s agreement with CityBridge, the installation of Kiosks will be broken down into eight phases for the installation of over 7,500 Kiosks across the five boroughs. This audit was conducted of Phase I of the installation of the Kiosks and is the first in a series of audits of the ongoing installation of Kiosks.
The Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) was established to, among other things, provide for the sustained, efficient and effective delivery of information technology (IT) services, infrastructure and telecommunications to enhance service delivery to the City’s residents, businesses, employees and visitors. DoITT serves 120 City agencies, boards, offices, and more than 8 million City residents and 300,000 employees. It aims to provide New Yorkers and the agencies that serve them with innovative and accessible technology solutions.
On December 10, 2014, the Franchise and Concession Review Committee (FCRC) unanimously approved a non-exclusive franchise agreement that authorizes CityBridge to install, operate, and maintain public communications Kiosks.[1]
The key features of the Kiosks include functionalities that will:
- Enable users to use their personal devices to connect to LinkNYC’s free Wi-Fi;
- Provide access to City services, maps and directions from a touch screen tablet;
- Enable users to make free phone calls to anywhere in the U.S. by using the Vonage app on the tablet or the tactile keypad and microphone, and to plug in their personal headphones for privacy;
- Provide a dedicated red 911 button for use in the event of an emergency;
- Enable users to charge their personal devices, using the Kiosk’s power-only Universal Serial Bus (USB) port;[2] and
- Provide two 55” HD displays for public service announcements and advertising.[3]
Built at no cost to taxpayers, the five-borough LinkNYC network is projected to, through advertising proceeds, generate more than $500 million in revenue for the City over the initiative’s first 12 years. According to DoITT, by replacing an aging network of public pay telephones with state-of-the-art Kiosks, CityBridge will transform the physical streetscape with a sleek design, enhance New Yorkers’ access to information, and create new local jobs for the development, service, and maintenance of the Kiosks.
Over an eight-year period, CityBridge will install over 7,500 Kiosks across the five boroughs. In Phase I, a total of 510 Kiosks were scheduled to be installed though out the five boroughs.
Results
The audit found that all 510 Phase I Kiosks have been installed as provided by the franchise agreement. In addition, we found that the Kiosks installed in Phase I contained the required key features and generally, with some exceptions noted below, were at the time of sampling operating as intended. Specifically we found that:
- 420 of 510 tablet screens (82 percent) were operating as intended;
- 384 of 510 Kiosks (75 percent) enabled users to make phone calls;
- 483 of 510 Kiosks (95 percent) were able to connect to LinkNYC free Wi-Fi;
- 484 of 510 Kiosks (95 percent) had operable USB charging ports that could charge cellular devices; and
- 486 of 510 left-side advertising screens (95 percent) and 482 of 510 right‑side advertising screens (95 percent) were operating on the Kiosks.
The audit recommends that DoITT should (1) ensure that CityBridge fulfills its contractual obligations by ensuring that the Kiosks’ Wi-Fi feature is functioning at the level required by the agreement; and (2) ensure that CityBridge repairs the key features that were not functioning during our tests.
In its written response, DoITT stated that, “We are pleased with your finding that, overall, the kiosk services generally operated as intended.” DoITT further states, “DoITT agrees with the recommendations and will continue to work with CityBridge to meet the LinkNYC Wi-Fi levels of availability with respect to the agreement. We will also verify the operability of key features not functioning during your tests.”
[1] According to the Mayor’s Office of Contracts website , “[t]he FCRC is composed of six members: members represent the Mayor, the Law Department, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the City Comptroller, and representatives of the five Borough Presidents who share one vote, which is allocated according to the location of the franchise or concession at issue.” See City Charter Chapter 14, § 373.
[2] USB, short for Universal Serial Bus, is an industry standard that was developed to define cables, connectors and protocols for connection, communication, and power supply between personal computers and their peripheral devices.
[3] Upon initial release, the tablets were equipped for Internet browsing; however, this feature was subsequently restricted due to community concerns and feedback.