New York City Public Advocate today released his plan for the city to deliver ‘Internet For All,’ high-speed, low-cost citywide municipal internet service akin to a public utility. While most New Yorkers’ lives – work, socializing, commerce – now have essential online components, many city residents are either priced out by private companies' rates or left behind by slow, ineffective service. Under the Public Advocate’s proposal, New York City would become the largest municipality in America to ensure access to affordable, reliable internet for residents.
“In the internet age, we cannot afford to be disconnected, yet many can’t afford to connect,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams at the launch. “The internet today is as foundational and essential as any other utility, but our city has yet to treat it as such, and communities are being cut off with high prices and slow speeds. By leveraging existing infrastructure and building new pathways, we can create a municipal system that provides affordable and accessible internet for all.”
Watch the release LIVE via YouTube.
In a new report, ‘Get Connected,’ the Public Advocate analyzes the ways in which a corporate-focused, profit-driven model of providing internet services has led to New Yorkers being disconnected, often while facing ever-increasing costs. He lays out a short and long-term strategy for developing the public infrastructure to ensure equitable access to the internet across the five boroughs. By building upon existing systems of low and no-cost internet service, we can make fast, reliable access a reality regardless of zip code.
This report comes six years after the Public Advocate called for municipalizing the city’s power grid, and for similar reasons to that effort.
Internet access in NYC relies on a mix of traditional cable, fiber optic, and wireless, with fiber as the gold standard due to its speed, stability, and resilience. However, this high-quality service is not universally available. Although 98.1% of residents could purchase broadband service (25/3 Mbps) as of December 2023, many lower-income households either forgo service or rely on mobile-only access, due to issues with reliability or affordability.
There are deep demographic and geographic factors in this digital divide. Customers in the Bronx pay the highest average cost per month ($79.83) for the slowest average speeds (198.02 Mbps) among the boroughs. This results in Bronx residents paying nearly double the cost per Mbps compared to Manhattan ($0.40 vs. $0.23) and allocating the largest portion of their income (2.04%) to internet costs.
Chart showing Average cost per month versus average speed by borough.
To close this divide, the Public Advocate proposes a path forward to lower costs and improve services, ultimately using both new and existing infrastructure to provide the public with internet access as a municipal utility.
While the city has taken some important steps in recent years to renew infrastructure and reach people, including through public-private partnerships that have had real impact, we can go further. Municipal systems that provide affordable and accessible internet for all have been achieved in other municipalities like Chattanooga, TN, and models exist in the five boroughs today, such as NYC Mesh, that we can learn from and build upon.
The Public Advocate’s recommended plan includes – I. Enforcement (0–2 Years)
- Strengthen Annual Reporting and Enforcement of Conduit Franchise Obligations
- Conduct an Audit of Empire City Subway and the Office of Technology and Innovation
- Establish an Independent Task Force on Conduit Leasing Reform
- Conduct a Con Edison Feasibility Study for Municipal Broadband Use
- Guarantee a Just Transition for any Displaced Broadband Workers
II. Buy-Out and Build-Out (2–7 Years)
- Develop a Municipal Fiber Backbone Network through Purchase and Construction
- Streamline the Access Application Process for Neighborhood Network Points
- Establish a Sliding-Scale Fee Structure for Use of Municipal System
- Incorporate CityBridge Infrastructure into Municipal Broadband
- Partner with Technology-Focus Organizations to Educate Community Groups
III. Municipal-wide Broadband (7–15 Years)
- Launch Fiber-To-The-Premises Municipal Pilot Programs in Underserved Areas
- Integrate Fiber Conduit Installation into Major Capital Projects
The Public Advocate unveiled his plan at a press conference with advocates and tenants at the Grand Street Guild Housing Complex, where NYC Mesh has successfully installed fiber connections on a wide scale. Video of the press conference is available here.