Support Mounts For LinkNYC Proposal, with New Backing of 19 Tenant Association Presidents at NYCHA Developments Citywide

December 9, 2014

Proposal for fastest, free municipal Wi-Fi network in the world to be voted on tomorrow, December 10

Learn more about LinkNYC: www.link.nyc

NEW YORK—On the heels of the proposal’s vote, the de Blasio administration today announced mounting support for LinkNYC—a plan to expand free, high-speed broadband access to New Yorkers across the five boroughs by reinventing aging payphone infrastructure. Specifically, 19 Tenant Association Presidents from New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments today co-signed a letter stressing the benefits LinkNYC would bring to their communities and urging their borough presidents to help implement the proposal.

LinkNYC is one of a series of the administration’s effort to bridge the current digital divide by increasing affordable, fast Internet access in every New York City neighborhood—regardless of one’s income or economic standing. This ambitious proposal would provide free domestic calling and generate at least $500 million for New York City over the next 12 years to reinvest into additional programs that will help bridge the current digital gap.

In recent weeks, positive feedback on the LinkNYC proposal has been pouring in from leaders of all parts of City life, including civic technology, community organizations, academia, human services, volunteer organizations, small business, faith-based organizations, and more.

Read today’s letter on LinkNYC from 19 Tenant Association Presidents of NYCHA developments:

In New York City, Internet service is almost universally available; virtually 100 percent of residences are equipped to receive it—if they can pay for it. Our city faces a digital divide, where those who can afford a steep premium are able participate in the digital world—and at the highest Internet speeds—while those who cannot are left behind.

But now the City has a plan to begin to change that.

The City’s LinkNYC proposal will provide an invaluable and necessary service accessible by all our residents. NYCHA residences are occupied by many households unable to afford the expensive options offered by the few cable companies providing Internet service. More often than not, low-income and minority New Yorkers do not own a household computer and instead depend on mobile devices to access Internet.

Equipping our neighborhood streets with fast, free Wi-Fi, faster than even the speeds others pay for, is a simple yet key way of keeping costs down—while staying connected on the go. Some might take for granted being plugged-in on their morning commute, on their way to school, or just walking down the street. But for others, it’s their only chance to connect. And families can save valuable costs by making free telephone calls at the kiosks, too; bringing families together and bringing that extra money back in their pockets.

The time is now to make it a little easier for so many of our families to keep up and make ends meet.

Having LinkNYC kiosks in our neighborhoods will bring us that much closer to closing the digital divide: our residents will no longer be held back by slow speeds or no connection at all. This proposal will allow children of public housing to compete with their peers by giving them access to the fastest internet speeds. It will allow parents to participate in our dynamic economy on a more level playing field; sending that email or making that call could mean getting that job. Not to mention the critical access to City services and emergency resources made available right at their fingertips. 

This is surely a breakthrough in the right direction and it will have a long-lasting and wide-reaching effect for so many of us. The city will generate revenue from this plan that will directly be injected back into providing long-term, sustainable Internet access to more low-income households.

Let’s not miss this step. We call on our borough presidents to recognize and act on this opportunity. It is the right thing for our communities.

Danny Barber-Walker
Andrew Jackson Houses

Diane Blackwell
Frederick E. Samuels Houses

Patricia Burns
Lehman Village

Brenda Charles
Mariner’s Harbor Houses

Henry Coaxum
Thurgood Marshall Plaza

Renee Edwards
Astoria Houses

Beatrice Everette
West Brighton Plaza

Jaqueline Goodman
Lower East Side Infill 1

Felicia Gordon
Rafael Hernandez Houses

Michelle Grant
Harlem River Houses

Nathaniel Green
Dyckman Houses

Princella Jamerson
Mill Brook Houses

Naomi Johnson
Howard Houses

Bernadette McNear
Ralph J. Rangel Houses

Brendaliz Santiago
First Houses

Lohoma Shipman
Bushwick Houses

April Simpson
Queensbridge Houses

Tyree Stanback
Lafayette Gardens

Jessica Thomas
LaGuardia Houses