NYC Invests In 5G: $157M Going Toward Expanded Internet Access

NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a sweeping effort to expand 5G and broadband connectivity across New York City.

A $157 million investment from the city will help close a “digital divide” for 600,000 mostly-low income New Yorkers, including 200,000 NYCHA residents, de Blasio said. He said the divide has left many struggling to find jobs, connect to vital appointments and seize opportunities, he said.

The plan will put 75 percent of new 5G light poles in underserved areas, allow telecom franchises to reserve 7,500 poles for 5G and track franchisees to make sure they use minority- and women-owned businesses, de Blasio said.

“The presence of 5G in New York City, it is part of our economic comeback,” he said Wednesday.

5G is the latest broadband technology and promises to greatly expand internet speeds and connectivity.

Smartphone shoppers may be familiar with cellular providers touting their new 5G networks, but buyers of cutting edge iPhones and Android phones know the connections are largely spotty.

But they won’t be for long — and they promise to do more than provide lightning-fast Netflix watches on your new iPhone 12.

De Blasio’s announcement included Edward Taylor, president of Down East Seafood from Hunts Point in the Bronx.

Taylor acknowledged most people wouldn’t think of a seafood company when discussing 5G and broadband. But he pointed out his small business — and many others — depends on reliable, fast internet.

He uses it to track delivery vehicles and make their routes more efficient.

“But this technology does a lot more than benefit small businesses like Down East,” he said. “It can transform Hunts Point’s residential community — a community which too often has been forgotten. A lot of our employees live right here in the Bronx and for them reliable and affordable internet is essential.”

State Sen. Kevin Parker, who also appeared during the announcement, encouraged New Yorkers to think of broadband as a utility.

“It’s like water, electric and gas,” he said. “You would never tell anybody to operate a home without water, electric and gas.”

Broadband’s importance has only become more clear in the coronavirus pandemic, Parker said. He said without internet that seniors have trouble signing up for COVID-19 vaccine appointments, job seekers can’t apply for jobs and students can’t connect to classrooms.

De Blasio said the city will take “major physical steps” in 2021 toward full access. He criticized past city agreements with cellular carriers that left low-income New Yorkers behind.

The city is opening a request for proposal Wednesday that shows it is ready to partner with any and all companies to bring affordable broadband to New Yorkers, said John Paul Farmer, the city’s chief technology officer.

“We recognize that digital poverty is poverty. Period,” Farmer said. “And so with Mayor de Blasio committing $157 million dollars in capital funds, that represents the largest municipal investment in American history in closing the digital divide.”

The window for the request for proposals closes on April 19.