In this city, wifi is everywhere. It’s a given in coffee shops and a godsend in subway tunnels, not to mention a monthly bill most of us sign up for without even thinking. Of course, despite its seeming convenience, the internet is still an expensive amenity; some can’t afford the anytime access. Hopefully that’s about to change. According to the Associated Press, New York’s housing developments are going to get free internet—some of them, anyway—as part of a federal initiative by the US department of Housing and Urban Development called ConnectHome.
De Blasio and federal housing development secretary Julian Castro are slated to make the official announcement later today, The Associated Press reports. So far, 5 of the city’s developments are slated to get gratis internet access: two in Brooklyn, two in the Bronx and one in Queens. No news yet about which ones.
So a $10 million budget deal gets 16,000 of New York City’s 400,000 housing development residents internet access. That’s still only 4% of the population living in those projects—not exactly sweeping reform. But hey, it’s a start.
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"That’s still only 4% of the population living in those projects—not exactly sweeping reform. But hey, it’s a start."
It's a start for who? While the rest of us have to budget the non-necessities in usual fashion the grubbing group gets this handed to them. And it's not "free". Someone is paying for this just like someone is paying for the majority of the rent in the projects while many in the projects are driving new cars and pissing out kids they can't afford.