After a recent study found that 184,000 Bronxites do not own a computer, and 131,000 others said they were without reliable broadband service, this week, we asked readers for their views on internet accessibility.

 

According to the Center for an Urban Future (CUF), a leading think tank focused on building a stronger and more equitable economy in New York City, and expanding economic opportunity for all New Yorkers, consistent access to a computer and high-speed internet is essential in today’s economy, but CUF’s new report reveals that hundreds of thousands of Bronx residents remain cut off from these basic tools of modern life.

 

The study found that while there are significant digital gaps across the city, CUF’s report, “Understanding and Overcoming the Bronx Digital Divide,” reveals that Bronx residents face the greatest barriers of any borough, with 22.4 percent of households in The Bronx lacking broadband at home, compared to 18 percent in Queens and 12.5 percent in Manhattan.

 

Additionally, the report found that The Bronx also has the lowest rate of device ownership, with one in three households, or over 184,000 homes, lacking access to a computer. CUF officials said the disparities are even starker at the neighborhood level with 35 percent of households in Melrose, Mott Haven, and Hunts Point lacking a computer, compared to 19 percent in Riverdale and Kingsbridge.

 

They said the report also found that there are also troubling gaps in digital literacy and access to tech education, adding that today, just 11.5 percent of Bronx students are enrolled in a computer science class, the lowest share of any borough.

 

CUF officials said their research, made possible thanks to a grant from The Bronx Community Foundation, calls on City and State policymakers to implement a Bronx Digital Divide Equity plan that includes major new investments across three key areas: broadband adoption, device access, and digital literacy and tech education. To learn more and read the CUF’s recommendations for policymakers, see the full report here.

 

Meanwhile, on July 23, NYC Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Acting Commissioner Ahmed Tigani announced “Liberty Link,” a program that they say will deliver high-quality internet to thousands of low-income New Yorkers in 100-percent affordable housing buildings at little to no cost to tenants.

 

Through the pilot program, led by HPD and the New York Public Library (NYPL) system, they said NYPL will connect the buildings to fiber internet and deploy building-wide Wi-Fi infrastructure. They said with $3.25 million in funding from HPD, the pilot internet network will serve nearly 2,200 households across 35 affordable housing buildings in The Bronx and Upper Manhattan.

 

Additionally, as part of the Liberty Link roll-out, they said tenants will have access to HPD’s Neighborhood Tech Help program, a one-on-one digital literacy program launched earlier this year to help New Yorkers connect to the internet, use technology, and navigate online resources.

 

City officials said the latest announcement is part of the mayor’s commitment to closing the digital divide in New York City and making sure every New Yorker has affordable access to the internet. They added that in 2022, the Adams administration launched “Big Apple Connect” bringing free internet and cable to 330,000 New Yorkers across 220 NYCHA facilities, and said this saved working-class families an average of roughly $1,700 per year.

 

“Whether it’s finding a job, filling a prescription, or applying for child care, the internet is no longer a luxury; it’s an essential service,” the mayor said. “But when we came into office, too many New Yorkers were disconnected from the internet, which is why we launched our ‘Big Apple Connect’ program to bring free broadband to hundreds of thousands of NYCHA residents. Today, we are doubling down on those efforts and expanding our free Wi-Fi services to thousands of new Section 8 and affordable housing tenants with ‘Liberty Link.”

 

Below are the responses we received from the wider Bronx community on internet accessibility.

 

“I don’t know about our neighbors, but ours sucks. It just went down last night. I have no idea why it went down. It just went down and then I couldn’t get in. No T.V., no internet, so that was that. It happens often enough that I don’t have service. Walking in the street, there’s no problem, it’s just at home.”

Joseph Fontanez,

West Farms

“Right now, I’m using an app so everything is fine. I get online with no problem; it’s perfect! Sometimes there’s a satellite problem and the service fades in and out, right? It could be for a week sometimes, or sometimes the signal will be weak and sometimes the signal is strong. It’s technically in and out, but it works. It turns on but it’s an in and out signal. It’s random from the weather, like when it rains. I think we need Starlink.”

Eric Summers,

Tremont

“The service can be better; the internet is great until you have a power outage at home. You call the company and now they make you their technician. On road trips either you’re using your data capacity, or you connect to unsafe internet, which makes you vulnerable to hackers. It’s surprising that so many people are without reliable service. It’s a problem when it rains; the lights flicker a lot when we have power outages.”

Lyssy Pastrana,

Pelham Gardens

“Having good Wi-Fi means more than being able to watch cute cat videos. FOMO (fear of missing out) can be very real in a world where situations can change in an instant, and especially when government sources of information have been compromised, for instance during weather disasters or a national emergency. Wi-Fi service in my neighborhood, while not perfect, has improved over the last 10 years.”

Fredda Tourin,

Riverdale

“Unfortunately, when it’s raining those are the worst days for the internet. Even if I am home, I don’t have enough signal and I’ve been trying different companies but still on cloudy or rainy days it’s hard to get a good signal. I don’t know what the problem is, but it’s not just one company.”

Carlos E. Reyes,

Long Island

 

Editor’s Note: CUF receives general operating support from The Clark Foundation and the Altman Foundation. The Center is also grateful for support from Fisher Brothers Foundation for the Center for an Urban Future’s Middle Class Jobs Project, and ongoing support from a number of other philanthropic funders.