Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Overview of Big Apple Connect program status and availability
0:34:36
ยท
123 sec
Council Member Julie Won inquires about the status of the Big Apple Connect program, particularly its availability in NYCHA developments. CTO Matthew C. Fraser provides an update on the program's reach and adoption rates.
- Big Apple Connect is available in over 220 NYCHA developments
- Adoption rates are over 80% across the board
- Some privately managed NYCHA developments (RadPack) are not currently part of the program
Julie Won
0:34:36
Thank you so much chair Gutierrez.
0:34:39
Hi it's good to see you CTO Fraser.
0:34:41
It's been a while.
0:34:43
Just it's great to hear that the funding for Big Apple Connect is going to be baselined.
0:34:49
So I just wanted to see the status of Big Apple Connect because like you said with ACP being defunded, I know that a lot of our low income neighbors have been depending on this free internet access because it is it should be treated like a utility and a basic need in our city.
0:35:04
So what is the status now of all of our NYCHA's in New York City being having Big Apple Connect available to them?
Matthew C. Fraser
0:35:11
Yeah.
0:35:12
So as it stands, we're in over 220 developments and the adoption rates we see to be north of 80% across the board.
0:35:20
That means that there's still 20% of the population that we got we have to get to.
Julie Won
0:35:25
Okay.
Matthew C. Fraser
0:35:26
And this summer, we're focused as it gets warmer out to do what we've done historically to raise the numbers, grass grassroots knocking on doors, putting out flyers, making sure that people are available, and surveying those that aren't taking the service to understand what's the reason why.
0:35:41
I mean, I think and at in the beginning, there was a lot of concern about a free service being offered by the city.
0:35:47
Right.
0:35:47
And people didn't know that whether it was real or And I think that with the adoption rates being what they are right now, we're seeing we're seeing growth but the growth is not moving as fast as we'd like so getting out and pushing.
Julie Won
0:35:59
So am I understanding correctly that every single NYCHA in the city of New York now has access to Big Apple Connect?
Matthew C. Fraser
0:36:04
Yeah so the only there's a couple of developments that are as part of the RadPack developments, the ones that are privately managed.
0:36:11
Those developments, there's a handful of them that are not currently a part of the Big Apple Connect program.
0:36:17
It's because as a part of the management deals, broadband was considered as a part of the But
Julie Won
0:36:22
the private managers are supposed to pay
Robert F. Holden
0:36:24
for that.
Matthew C. Fraser
0:36:24
So the private management companies are responsible for establishing that.
0:36:28
One of the things that we are looking as an opt in as a private management company step in, giving them an opt in for Big Apple Connect so they can leverage it and then we can figure out like the the fee structure for that.