{"id":220841,"date":"2026-05-05T16:56:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:56:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/220841\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T16:56:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:56:38","slug":"mayor-mamdani-rep-torres-nyc-dept-of-hpd-and-nypl-celebrate-2-million-federal-investment-to-expand-broadband-access-in-the-bronx-through-neighborhood-internet-nyrej","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/220841\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayor Mamdani, rep. Torres, NYC Dept. of HPD, and NYPL celebrate $2 million federal investment to expand broadband access in the Bronx through Neighborhood Internet : NYREJ"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>                    News:<br \/>\n                                            Owners Developers &amp; Managers<\/p>\n<p>                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" height=\"396\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/mayor-mamdani at podium-paper.jpg\" width=\"350\"\/>&#13;<br \/>\nMayor Zohran Mamdani&#13;<\/p>\n<p>Bronx, NY Mayor Zohran Mamdani, U.S. representative Ritchie Torres, Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) commissioner Dina Levy, and New York Public Library (NYPL) president Anthony Marx celebrated a $2 million expansion of the Neighborhood Internet program at an affordable housing development in the Bronx. Neighborhood Internet is a groundbreaking partnership between the City and NYPL that extends free, high-speed broadband to low-income New Yorkers. The initial pilot of the program, funded by HPD, will serve over 700 low-income households in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan by this summer, with the federally funded expansion supporting thousands more across the Bronx over the next two years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInternet access allows New Yorkers to access jobs, find no-cost childcare, and explore the city they love. But for too many, broadband connection is either unreliable or unattainable. With this $2 million investment in the Neighborhood Internet program for New Yorkers in affordable housing, this administration is taking a major step towards closing the digital gap and building a city that is connected in more ways than one,\u201d said mayor Mamdani.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe digital divide is not abstract, it is a daily barrier for so many families in the South Bronx,\u201d said rep. Torres. \u201cIn 2026, being offline means being locked out of opportunity. This $2 million investment will bring high-speed internet into thousands of apartments, because in today\u2019s economy, you cannot fully participate without being connected. I\u2019m grateful to the mayor, HPD, and the New York Public Library for partnering with us to deliver this critical investment to the Bronx.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen affordable housing gets built in the city, residents should be connected to the internet,\u201d said Levy. \u201cForty percent of households in the Bronx do not have home internet access. The Neighborhood Internet initiative will help bridge the digital divide, providing low-income tenants in the Bronx with free access to the internet. Thank you to Congressman Torres for securing the federal funding that makes this possible, and to NYPL for their partnership in expanding internet access across the city. Under mayor Mamdani, we\u2019re making sure affordable housing tenants are first to get connected.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe New York Public Library is laser focused on promoting reading and free access to digital information,\u201d said Marx. \u201cFrom applying for jobs, to staying connected to loved ones, finding a family doctor, and so much more, the internet is essential to fully participating in society. The Library is committed to closing the digital divide and we are proud to help the City of New York deliver free wifi into the homes of New Yorkers in need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNew Yorkers across the five boroughs deserve the same access to affordable internet regardless of their zip code,\u201d said New York City chief technology officer and office of technology and innovation commissioner Lisa Gelobter. \u201cToday\u2019s announcement is about more than free internet \u2014\u00a0 it\u2019s about connecting thousands of historically underserved Bronx residents to greater economic, educational, and social opportunities. We\u2019re proud to join rep. Torres, HPD, and the New York Public Library to celebrate the expansion of the Neighborhood Internet program, a key initiative of the NYC Digital Equity Roadmap, and look forward to working closely with the public and our various stakeholders as we develop the \u2018Citywide Broadband Adoption Plan\u2019 in the coming months.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Neighborhood Internet is a broadband access initiative funded by HPD and operated by the New York Public Library. It provides free internet service to low-income households in Upper Manhattan and in the Bronx. This new federal funding, secured by rep. Torres in the FY26 HUD budget, will expand Neighborhood Internet to thousands more low-income households in the Bronx, where more than 40% of households lack internet connectivity. The initiative will also reduce costs for nonprofit landlords who currently pay for building internet.<\/p>\n<p>Tenants in buildings served by Neighborhood Internet will also receive Neighborhood Tech Help, another initiative from HPD and NYPL that offers free, easy-to-access, one-on-one tech support for New Yorkers to help them become more comfortable using tech devices, connecting to the internet, setting up online accounts, and improving their tech skills. While Neighborhood Tech Help is currently available at select libraries throughout the city, it will also be available for tenants to get them onboarded to the free internet service. Neighborhood Tech Help will then also be available on an ongoing basis at sites nearby, including older adult centers, community centers, and local libraries.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"News: Owners Developers &amp; Managers &#13; Mayor Zohran Mamdani&#13; Bronx, NY Mayor Zohran Mamdani, U.S. representative Ritchie Torres,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":220842,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,9,24,63,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-220841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bronx","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/220842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}