De Blasio Announces Free Broadband for 5 NYCHA Developments
Today Mayor Bill de Blasio will announce that 16,000 public housing residents across the city will receive free Internet broadband this fall. The first to benefit from the $10M program will be the Queensbridge Houses in Queens, followed by the Mott Haven Houses in the Bronx, and the Red Hook houses in Brooklyn. City officials say the Internet is no longer a luxury, but as necessary as electricity and running water, the Associated Press reports. Federal Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro will also announce a partnership with Sprint and Best Buy to produce four years of free home Wi-Fi for students in all Bronx public housing developments. The De Blasio administration has pledged $70M in capital investment for free or low-cost Wi-Fi for low-income families over the next 10 years. He hopes all New Yorkers will have access to affordable broadband by 2025. [AP]
