Can New York City provide affordable internet for all? Public Advocate Jumaane Williams thinks so. | amNewYork

Multiple efforts to connect New Yorkers to the internet have failed to meet expectations due to ineffective oversight, broken promises, and inefficient use of funding and infrastructure. A proposal would build a city-owned fiber-optic network to deliver affordable high-speed internet to every household in NYC, with completion potentially taking more than a decade. The plan targets affordability and economic benefits for lowest-income neighborhoods where many households forgo internet service or rely on mobile-only access. The digital divide is described as geographic and economic, with Black and Brown, lower-income areas paying higher rates for slower speeds. Private providers control the underground cable and fiber network, limiting competition among ISPs and contributing to higher prices that restrict access.

"Multiple efforts by the city and private telecom corporations to get New Yorkers connected to the internet continually failed to meet expectations, marked by ineffective public oversight, broken promises and inefficient use of funding and infrastructure, according to a new report that Public Advocate Jumaane Williams' office released on Wednesday."

"Williams said at a May 27 press conference at the Grand Street Guild residences in the Lower East Side, where he introduced his proposal to build a city-owned fiber-optic network that can deliver affordable high-speed internet to every household in NYC. The plan, which could take more than a decade to complete, aims to improve affordability and economic benefits for the lowest-income neighborhoods, some of which see as many as one-third of households forgo internet service or rely on mobile-only access."

"The digital divide is more than generational it's geographic, and it's economic, Williams said. Some neighborhoods primarily Black and Brown, lower-income areas are paying the highest rates for the slowest speeds. Many more are relying solely on their cell phones for access, and that disparity has real-world consequences."

"Williams called on the city to treat internet connections like a municipal utility, similar to water, gas, or electricity, rather than a private luxury. You literally can't access society in 2026 without access to reliable internet service, Williams said. As it stands, private corporations are responsible for building and maintaining the city's vast underground network of cables and fiber optics, responsible for delivering internet to residences and businesses."

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