NYC Broadband Implementation Plan
New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)
HR&A led an interdisciplinary team working with the Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer to develop New York City’s first Internet Master Plan, addressing the digital divide affecting nearly one-third of city households. Our comprehensive strategy established frameworks for public-private collaboration, governance, and financing that enabled the City to commit $157 million toward expanding affordable broadband access to 600,000 New Yorkers, including innovative procurement approaches that experts have praised as among the nation’s boldest universal broadband initiatives.
New York City confronted a stark digital divide, with 29 percent of households lacking home broadband and 1.5 million residents having neither mobile nor home internet connections, creating barriers to economic opportunity. Commercial fiber infrastructure concentrated in Manhattan further disadvantaged outer boroughs, while limited provider choice in many neighborhoods restricted affordability options. HR&A’s approach combined infrastructure analysis with economic impact assessment to develop comprehensive solutions addressing connectivity gaps while leveraging city resources and creating value for public and private collaborators.
The resulting Internet Master Plan, released in January 2020, established a roadmap for expanding the City’s role in broadband infrastructure through strategic public-private collaboration. Our work included developing future-proof infrastructure strategies, governance frameworks consolidating oversight, and preferred business models demonstrating economic benefits of universal access. When COVID-19 highlighted broadband’s essential nature, the plan’s Universal Solicitation for Broadband procurement strategy enabled rapid response, with Mayor de Blasio announcing acceleration of implementation and $157 million in funding commitments. The plan has received national recognition from telecommunications and policy experts, with Brookings praising its novel multi-stakeholder approach, establishing New York City as a leader in pursuing equitable universal broadband access that supports economic inclusion.
- De Blasio Will Expand Internet To 600K New Yorkers Over The Next 18 Months
- NYC internet plan aims to provide all New Yorkers with broadband access
- New York City and the FCC have two very different plans for expanding broadband access
- NYC broadband plan calls for fiber everywhere, with ISPs sharing network
- New York City unveils ‘Internet Master Plan’ for universal broadband access
- New York’s New Broadband Plan Hopes to (Finally) Address the Digital Divide
- Internet access remains a problem as schools plan for reopening
