NYC expands free internet and device programs

New York City is rolling out a new “Get Online NYC” campaign to steer residents to free internet, devices and digital-skills help at more than 450 sites citywide. (nyc.gov) The campaign launched on April 1, 2026, with a new website, logo, multilingual flyers, a computer-center directory and a resource survey from the city’s Office of Technology and Innovation. (nyc.gov) In Queens, the city says residents can use 128 public computer centers that offer free Wi-Fi, public-use devices and digital literacy programs, with locations run through libraries, older-adult centers, parks and other partners. (qns.com) The push reaches neighborhoods where home broadband remains uneven. Office of Technology and Innovation officials said American Community Survey data showed about 12 percent of Queens households lacked broadband internet. (qns.com) City officials have framed the effort as the next step after focusing first on home connections in public housing. New York City’s Digital Equity Roadmap, published in March 2025, said digital equity work had to go beyond internet service alone and include devices, skills and support. (nyc.gov) That roadmap followed the launch of Big Apple Connect in September 2022. The city says the program now provides free high-speed internet and basic cable to 330,000 New Yorkers living in 220 New York City Housing Authority developments. (nyc.gov) The Adams administration has also widened the model beyond public housing. In July 2025, the city announced “Liberty Link,” a $3.25 million pilot to bring free or low-cost building-wide internet to nearly 2,200 households in 35 affordable housing buildings in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan. (nyc.gov) Skills training is now part of the city’s pitch, not an add-on. In April 2025, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the three public library systems launched Neighborhood Tech Help, an in-person program that assists residents with getting online, setting up devices, navigating digital services and avoiding scams. (nyc.gov) The city says “Get Online NYC” is meant to make those scattered programs easier to find in one place, including free internet options, device access and classes in local neighborhoods. For Queens residents in places like the Rockaways and Jamaica, the immediate change is not a new benefit so much as a clearer front door to benefits the city says already exist. (nyc.gov)