Home » News » Over 300,000 New Yorkers to Benefit from NYC’s Enlarged Program Providing Free Internet and Cable Access

Over 300,000 New Yorkers to Benefit from NYC’s Enlarged Program Providing Free Internet and Cable Access

What to Know

  • New York City is expanding by nearly 50 percent “Big Apple Connect,” the nation’s largest municipal broadband program that provides free Internet and basic cable TV services to hundreds of NYCHA residents.
  • ‘Big Apple Connect’ offers NYCHA residents a free package consisting of in-home high-speed Internet connection, basic cable TV service, and Wi-Fi hotspots in common areas, selected in consultation with NYCHA.
  • The program provides broadband service to 202 NYCHA developments, reaching nearly 300,000 New Yorkers. However, with the announced expansion, an additional 67 NYCHA developments will receive service, reaching an additional 40,000 homes.

NEW YORKNew York City is expanding by nearly 50 percent “Big Apple Connect,” the nation’s largest municipal broadband program that provides free Internet and basic cable TV services to thousands of NYCHA residents. .

“Big Apple Connect,” or Big Apple Connected, offers NYCHA residents a free package consisting of high-speed Internet connection in the home, basic cable TV service, and Wi-Fi hotspots in common areas, selected in consultation with NYCHA.

The program provides broadband service to 202 NYCHA developments, reaching nearly 300,000 New Yorkers. However, with the announced expansion, an additional 67 NYCHA developments will receive service, reaching an additional 40,000 homes.

“Six months ago, I promised that we would close the digital divide for NYCHA residents, and today I am proud to deliver on that commitment ahead of schedule,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “With this expansion of ‘Big Apple Connect,’ the nation’s largest municipal broadband program to more than 200 NYCHA developments, more than 300,000 New Yorkers now have free cable TV and Internet access. The Internet is not a luxury, it is a necessity, and today we are proud to connect hundreds of thousands more New Yorkers with opportunity and the future.”

The City has entered into three-year agreements with Altice (Optimum) and Charter (Spectrum), which will collectively cover most developments owned and managed by NYCHA.

Existing Optimum and Spectrum customers at NYCHA developments where ‘Big Apple Connect’ is active will be automatically enrolled in the program and will only be billed for the additional services they choose to purchase directly.

Adams launched ‘Big Apple Connect’ last fall and promised to install the services at more than 200 NYCHA developments by the end of 2023.

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