Office of the New York State Comptroller

 

Making Strides on Broadband Affordability

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that having access to high-speed internet is critically important — and that access is unavailable to many low-income families, often because of cost. In 2021, the Office of the State Comptroller reported that more than 1 million (roughly 14 percent) New York households lacked access to broadband. Two federal programs—the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program and the Affordable Connectivity Program—have been established to address these disparities in access and are demonstrating positive results. The share of low-income households with a broadband subscription climbed from 64 percent to 76 percent between 2019 and 2021, a 12 percentage point increase. As of May 15, 2023, more than 1.3 million New York households are receiving affordable broadband subscriptions with federal support.

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