US Senator Charles Schumer kicked off Internet Week NY 2011 this morning with a keynote speech. In his speech, he mentions Dumbo as a place for internet companies to thrive as part of the NY Digital District, and could incubate “the next Google or the next Facebook”. Last week, free wireless connectivity was made possible through a deal between Two Trees Management, Dumbo’s largest real estate developer, NYC Wireless and the DUMBO Business Improvement District.

This is what Senator Charles Schumer had to say:

“To me, the perfect example of the transformation of this sector in New York is what is happening right across the East River, in Dumbo. Fifteen years ago, Dumbo was a community of warehouses and underused industrial buildings, many of which had been languishing for decades. Now, it is one of the most vibrant mixed used neighborhoods in the city. It is a neighborhood transformed. And what is the main industry in Dumbo? Internet companies. The largest employer is Huge, a company that builds digital platforms for some of the biggest companies in the world, and has over 300 employees in Brooklyn. At the same time, there are more and more small start ups and midsized companies that have found affordable collaborative work spaces, creating exactly the sort of synergies that give rise to companies with similar growth potential. I wasn’t surprised when last week when it was announced that the first public wi-fi network in the city is in Dumbo. And I would not be surprised if the next Google or the next Facebook is born in one of these Dumbo buildings.”

Thanks to DUMBO Business Improvement District for the tip.

Dumbo Brooklyn First to Offer Free Wireless Access, 02Jun2011