Al Christian says he doesn\u2019t have internet at his Bronx home because he can\u2019t afford the utility bill. That makes it hard to look for work since most applications and job listings are now online. It also means he can\u2019t watch YouTube, listen to music or FaceTime his adult daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s a lot of things you would like to find out on the internet and without that, you ain’t really got nothing,\u201d said Christian, 59. \u201c\u200aYou can’t do a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
April Zarks has Wi-Fi, but doesn\u2019t own a computer in her East Tremont home so she has to read the news on her phone and can\u2019t apply for remote jobs without a device.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes it would be better to work with a bigger screen being I have poor vision,\u201d said Zarks, 58.<\/p>\n
Internet bills in New York City can range from $30 to $100<\/a>, and laptops can tack on another $300-$500 or more \u2014 expenses that can be out of reach for New Yorkers struggling to pay rising rent, food and child care costs. The affordability crisis is fueling the digital divide in New York City\u2019s poorest borough, where 1 in nearly 4 homes lack broadband internet and 1 in 3 don\u2019t have computers, according to a recent report by the Center for an Urban Future<\/a>.<\/p>\n Overall, the report finds, 19% of Bronx households rely on only on smartphones for home internet access.<\/p>\n “The internet is no longer a luxury, it’s an essential service,” City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak-Altus said. She said the city’s efforts to address the problem include delivering free broadband to hundreds of thousands of NYCHA residents through its Big Apple Connect program and providing free internet to 2,000 households across the Bronx and Upper Manhattan. She said the city also spent $2.4 million to expand digital access in underserved communities and expanded the LinkNYC kiosks that provide free WiFi.<\/p>\n Advocates say a lot of progress has been made in wiring 99% of the borough with broadband, but they worry Bronx families will fall further behind without more investment from city and state officials. This is especially true as residents\u2019 budgets tighten amid federal cuts to programs that help people afford groceries through SNAP<\/a> or health insurance through Medicaid<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aThe digital divide has become a major driver of inequality in New York. It is separating New Yorkers into those who not only have access to computers and broadband but with those things, access to a full world of opportunity, from education to job training, to opportunities to connect with programs and services that could change the trajectory of their lives,\u201d said Eli Dvorkin, co-author of the Center for an Urban Future report.<\/p>\n 1 in 3 households lack computers<\/p>\n Malika Butler, 37, remembers when she applied to Metropolitan College of New York \u2014 on her phone.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a little difficult because sometimes it restarts, sometimes your phone freezes, sometimes you lose internet service,\u201d she said. \u201cBut as long as you keep pushing through it, you’ll get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n She went on to graduate with a bachelor\u2019s degree in human services and is working on launching her own businesses providing resources for women. But with her oldest son headed to trade school to become an automotive mechanical engineer, she knew he needed a laptop for his studies. Butler was able to get a laptop from the organization LIFT New York<\/a>, an organization working to break the cycle of poverty, after taking some courses around parenting in the digital age. She said getting a free laptop was a weight off her shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving the laptop is going to help him, not only help him to be able to be successful and to be able to do his goals and complete everything that he needs to, but it also gives mom a little bit like, a relief,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Giselli Veloz, LIFT’s senior program manager of community engagement, said the parents the group serves can\u2019t always afford to purchase computers for their kids, especially when everyone needs a device for school or work. Others can\u2019t afford the internet bill.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s not always easy to pay $70 when you’re a single parent and maybe receiving public benefits. Those $70 can purchase diapers. Those $70 are purchasing clothing, school supplies, other basic needs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Despite the fact that more than 30% of Bronx households lack computer at homes, the borough also has among the lowest number of public computer labs.<\/p>\n