- Get Online NYC Campaign
- Digital Inclusion Best Practices Amid ICE Enforcement
- Federal Broadband Legislation
- Maryland Agreement for Internet Access
- Report: Consumers Misled on Costs
- Millions of Seniors Lack Service
GET ONLINE NYC CAMPAIGN
New York City’s Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) has launched a new campaign, “Get Online NYC,” with the purpose of simplifying access to resources that can help New Yorkers use the Internet.
City officials are building awareness about the campaign with promotional materials distributed at more than 450 locations across the city, and a free roundtable event in Brooklyn on Thursday.
The campaign comes about a year after the city published the NYC Digital Equity Roadmap in March 2025. That plan included 11 key actions to improve digital inclusion, including hiring a chief digital equity officer and convening a Digital Equity Working Group made of 43 city agencies.
This initiative builds on the city’s digital inclusion ecosystem, which is made up of practitioners and other stakeholders. Organizations supporting this work by offering resources or services to the community include the New York Public Library and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and nonprofits including Per Scholas.
“This … reaffirms our commitment to working with city agencies, community-based partners, and the public to build a more connected New York City,” Chief Technology Officer and OTI Commissioner Lisa Gelobter said in a statement.
DIGITAL INCLUSION BEST PRACTICES AMID ICE ENFORCEMENT
The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) has released a blog detailing best practices for digital inclusion programs during mass enforcement actions.
Some recent federal actions have driven people to shelter in place, potentially disconnecting them from jobs, education, health care and other critical services. The blog post summarizes how digital inclusion programs can respond by supporting people where they are.
First, practitioners can move services to an online or hybrid model, although this may take time. To facilitate a successful shift, NDIA recommends switching up outreach, preparing community partners and program funders for changes, offering a one-on-one intake and device setup support to reduce barriers to entry for an online program, prioritizing language access, and revisiting class content. Content may need to be adjusted to address questions “specific to this moment,” the blog said, like how to better secure devices against tracking.
The next best practice is to adjust pacing and expectations for online instruction. This may include smaller or more flexible attendance options, the use of virtual tools to differentiate instruction, and considerations for participants who do not speak English as a first language.
Trust is another essential best practice. To build and rebuild trust among community members, practitioners can tap instructors with pre-existing local relationships, use tools or platforms popular with immigrant communities like WhatsApp, and proactively communicate what will be done with any data that is collected.
Finally, NDIA recommended making privacy central. This can be done by minimizing data collection, allowing — and even recommending — participants use pseudonyms if that makes them more comfortable participating, and being aware of how practitioners might unintentionally expose information when delivering resources or services.
FEDERAL BROADBAND LEGISLATION
In policy news, U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney introduced multiple bipartisan bills last week to support rural Americans with broadband access and lower costs.
The slate of bills includes the Rural Utilities Service Modernization Act, which would streamline permitting; the Prioritizing Rural Broadband Affordability Act, which would require affordability considerations for grant awards; the Quality Broadband for Connected Communities Act, which would update the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Connect Program speed requirements; and the Expanding Access to Distance Learning and Telemedicine Act, which would broaden eligibility for this grant program.
Elsewhere in Washington, D.C., the U.S. House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing last week about modernizing the 1996 Telecommunications Act; some policymakers have been pushing for action on this front.
MARYLAND AGREEMENT FOR INTERNET ACCESS
In state news, a new agreement between the Maryland Department of Information Technology (DoIT) and the Maryland Broadband Cooperative gives the government exclusive access to fiber-optic cable in the western part of the state. The pact is expected to create opportunities for public- and private-sector connections through last-mile investments.
“Through this creative resource-sharing agreement, we are showing how the state can reduce investment costs for Internet service providers while saving taxpayer dollars,” DoIT Secretary and CIO Katie Savage said in a statement.
Separately, the Fiber Broadband Association has released guidance for states on how they can strengthen digital infrastructure through investment in fiber. It offers a framework in which fiber systems connect the “core Internet backbone” to last-mile broadband providers.
FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty has dubbed fiber deployment “key” to universal connectivity.
REPORT: CONSUMERS MISLED ON COSTS
A new report from Reviews.org revealed that two-thirds of consumers say they are “one hidden fee away from switching providers.”
Internet bills rose this year for 73 percent of consumers. This is leading to changes in service subscriptions, as 30 percent of respondents indicated that they have either canceled or downgraded their home Internet service in the past year due to cost. The fees are impacting trust, too; 65 percent said they felt misled by their plan’s terms or pricing.
The report references another report, from TIME, which cites the key contributing factors for increased electricity costs: inflation, aging infrastructure, tariffs, climate change and data centers. The Iran war is also expected to affect consumer costs.
MILLIONS OF SENIORS LACK SERVICE
A new data analysis from BroadbandClusters.org reveals two stark divides for seniors in the U.S. First, an estimated 12.7 million seniors have no home broadband subscription. An estimated 7.2 million seniors are in households without a laptop, desktop or tablet.
Notably, lacking service access limits seniors’ ability to receive sometimes essential services. For example, Medicare telehealth requires a stable video connection from home, benefits renewals often require using online portals, and prescription refill systems can be dependent on connectivity, the analysis said.
Each of these gaps requires targeted responses, the resource indicates. The interactive data analysis lets stakeholders view these gaps — both device access and subscription service access — by the metro level or state level to see which issues are affecting the seniors they serve.
