LinkNYC, a public Wi-Fi system that will replace many payphones in New York City, has launched in several locations in Manhattan and the Bronx. Early users report speeds of 300 Mbps upload and download, which is far above a typical home connection. In addition to free, high-speed Wi-Fi in a range of 100-200 feet, LinkNYC kiosks will provide free phone calls anywhere in the U.S., as well as serve as a cell charging station.
It’s exciting to imagine what uses enterprising New Yorkers will put LinkNYC to once it’s fully deployed. The city is promising 7,500 stations across the five boroughs within four years, and up to 10,000 overall. With so many people on the go, LinkNYC has the potential to redefine public space in the city.
Free public Wi-Fi can help some of the most disadvantaged.
Public Wi-Fi can be particularly important for some of the most disadvantaged residents of our city. Younger adults, those with low incomes and racial minorities are disproportionately dependent on a smartphone as their sole way to gain online access, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center. And some of the most vulnerable might benefit the most: a smartphone can be a lifeline for the homeless. Access to Wi-Fi is particularly important for smartphone users, since more than 80% of data traffic goes through Wi-Fi networks rather than cellular networks.
A terrific first step, but there is a long way to go
Free public Wi-Fi is essential, but access to the internet needs to be ubiquitous indoors as well - at every home, business, school and public institution. For more intense uses, such as doing homework, or working remotely, public Wi-Fi is unlikely to be sufficient. As Maya Wiley, counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is in charge of expanding affordable broadband access, has said, children are unlikely to be able to do their homework at a street corner. And according to RPA analysis, 22% of the region’s households lack broadband at home.
OneNYC sets as a goal that every resident and business will have access to affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband service everywhere by 2025. City initiatives from Wi-Fi in libraries to connecting public housing to fiber are an important part of the solution. But we are past due for a comprehensive approach to broadband that treats it as the essential infrastructure that it is and not purely a private-sector issue. Because of New York City’s size and resources, it may be able to chart its own course. A different challenge awaits the other 781 municipalities in the region to move in the direction of fast, reliable and universally accessible broadband.