Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
De Blasio Announces Ambitious Plan To Expand Broadband Internet To All New Yorkers Some Day
By
Sydney Pereira
Published Jan 7, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
By
Sydney Pereira
Published Jan 7, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Mayor Bill de Blasio has a new plan to expand broadband internet to everybody—but no target date for when it could happen.
After years of attempting to expand universal broadband coverage and a failed Bloomberg-era deal with Verizon to close the digital divide, the de Blasio administration announced its new "Internet Master Plan" on Tuesday.
The new plan lays out how the city will expand broadband internet access to New Yorkers who have only have internet access in their home or on their phones—a reality for some 40 percent of residents. Eighteen percent lack access on both, according to the de Blasio administration.
Some 1.5 million New Yorkers don't have broadband access at home or on their phones.
"The digital divide is unacceptable," NYC Chief Technology Officer John Paul Farmer told Gothamist. "We see this as the best blueprint for how the city can address some of these root challenges at the core of the digital divide, where we need better infrastructure and better affordability."
Under the plan, the city would call on private companies to respond to requests for access to city-owned property—like on rooftops or lightpoles—to build out internet infrastructure to expand broadband internet across the city. The estimated cost of all the infrastructure is $2.1 billion.
Nearly 38 percent of Bronx residents don't have broadband internet at home, the highest in New York City.
Mayor's Office
But the new plan doesn't set a deadline for universal broadband internet.
Previously, the de Blasio administration had set a goal of 2025 to ensure all New Yorkers had internet in the administration's 2015 OneNYC goal—but it was scrapped in the OneNYC plan released last year. Farmer said dropping the target year was due to changes in the federal government, after President Donald Trump was elected.
"That's an added challenge," said Farmer. "But we're not stopping. We're not letting that dissuade us." The city's "blueprint" is aimed at expanding broadband to everyone without federal government assistance for the time being.
With broadband subscription prices ranging from $50 to more than $125, the divide is worse for low-income families; 46 percent of households in poverty don't have broadband internet at home.
In the Bronx, nearly 38 percent of residents don't have broadband internet at home. Brooklyn and Queens have the starkest gaps in fiber optic infrastructure "where a lack of accessible conduit or utility poles limits opportunities for new services," according to the plan.
The new plan comes two years after the city sued Verizon for failing to meet its 2014 deadline to install additional Fios cables under a 2008 deal to expand the service to every household in the city. An audit in 2015 found the city still had 40,000 pending requests for Fios service.
A timeline for the de Blasio administration's "Internet Master Plan."
Mayor's Office
The de Blasio administration estimates that expanding broadband internet would lead to 165,000 new jobs and a $49 billion increase in personal income by 2045.
"Providing equitable broadband service to all New Yorkers regardless of where they live or how much they make is vital to ensuring everyone has the basic tools they need to succeed," de Blasio said in a statement.
Tagged
internet access
mayor bill de blasio
Sydney Pereira
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYPD searching for suspect after fatal stabbing in Queens
Officers responding to a call at the intersection of Jamaica Avenue and 173rd Street around 1 a.m. found 29-year-old Sulimon Ferrier, who had multiple stab wounds to his chest, police said.
By
Ben Feuerherd
Published Oct 3, 2026
NYPD: 2 suspects in off-duty officer stabbing tried to rob victim
It’s unclear if the attackers knew the victim was NYPD.
By
Jill Webb
News
NYPD: 2 suspects in off-duty officer stabbing tried to rob victim
It’s unclear if the attackers knew the victim was NYPD.
By
Jill Webb
Astoria-born Chip City announces sudden closure days after former CEO sues
By
Catalina Gonella
US judge tosses Trump lawsuit targeting pro-Palestinian protesters in NJ
By
Willow Higgins
A big, bright Saturn will be the highlight of NYC's fall stargazing season
By
Rosemary Misdary
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .