Senator Chuck Schumer, a longtime ally of the New York tech crowd, recently called on the MTA to create a “Nerd Bus” route — yes, that’s actually what he called it — to connect all points along New York’s dot-com frontier. His statement followed the MTA’s announcement of a proposed “Brooklyn Tech Triangle” connecting DUMBO, the Navy Yard, and Downtown Brooklyn. Here’s the statement, straight from the horse’s senator’s mouth:
“New York is seeing a major tech boom, with Brooklyn and Long Island City leading the way, and now the new Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island is going to be a game changer that further cements New York’s position as a leader in tech,” said Schumer in a statement. “You don’t need a PhD to know that connecting these neighborhoods through a ‘Nerd Bus’ is a no-brainer.”
He proceeded to include burgeoning tech hotspots like Long Island City and Greenpoint in his list of nerdy destinations. The senator even name-checked Etsy, Kickstarter, Foursquare, and Tumblr. Schumer’s proposal is a welcome sign that that the powers that be are finally recognizing what NYC’s tech community has long known: the entrepreneurs and engineers who are flocking to our city will spur the next wave of Internet innovation. With luck, the Nerd Bus will be the first of many infrastructure investments designed to bolster the city’s new Internet enclaves.
And it better have Wi-Fi.
