NYC unveils Liberty Link pilot program for free or low-cost internet service in parts of Manhattan and Bronx
Thousands of residents in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan could soon benefit from a new New York City pilot program that promises to bring free or low-cost internet to some affordable housing buildings.
Mayor Eric Adams symbolically turned on the power to a router on Wednesday before announcing a more than $3 million program called Liberty Link, a three-year plan to bring high-speed Wi-Fi to more than 2,000 affordable and Section 8 housing units across the two boroughs.
Department of Housing, New York Public Library join forces
Liberty Link is an expansion of a 2022 program called Big Apple Connect, which brought Wi-Fi to more than 200 NYCHA buildings.
"High-speed broadband, we know how important it is -- finding a job, connecting online, looking for research, résumés, filling a prescription, applying for child care," Adams said.
Liberty Link is a partnership between the city's Department of Housing and the New York Public Library, which will install fiber internet and Wi-Fi to dozens of buildings.
"Democratization of knowledge is for all. Regardless of your income level, where you live, who you are, you should be able to get access to information," said Garfield Swaby, senior director for IT at New York Public Library.
The city says the first installations of Liberty Link will begin in the Bronx by the end of the year, with hopes to expand citywide if the pilot is successful.
"It's going to be magnificent"
One disabled veteran said access to the internet isn't just a convenience, it's a lifeline.
Bernard Wright is a frequent visitor to the Bronx Library Center.
"They have internet access and computers. That was a go to for me," Wright said.
He said for many people living on fixed incomes, like himself, paying for internet at home is simply too expensive. But without it, they will miss out on critical services.
"If you don't have access to the internet, if you don't have access to put in claims to receive assistance that you need, then you're at a dead end," Wright said.
And for New Yorkers with mobility issues, like Wright, getting to the library isn't always easy. However, soon, hundreds like him will get free Wi-Fi right at home.
"Now that this Liberty Link is gonna come into play, it's going to be magnificent. It's going to be able to help members who are homebound," Wright said.
