Report: Governor Hochul announces applications are now open for high-speed broadband infrastructure through Affordable Housing Connectivity Program
ALBANY, NY- Governor Kathy Hochul announced this week that applications are now open for the $100 million Affordable Housing Connectivity Program, a partnership led by Empire State Development’s ‘ConnectALL’ Office in consultation with New York State Homes and Community Renewal to design and install broadband infrastructure at 100,000 affordable housing units across New York State.
“With work, school, and essential government services going digital, affordable homes need affordable, reliable broadband, and this funding will help bolster our efforts to build housing equipped with the basic tools that New Yorkers need to succeed,” the Governor said.
“The internet is not a luxury, it is essential infrastructure and this funding will help New Yorkers connect to new opportunities, education, healthcare and so much more right in their homes,” U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said.
“This federal funding will bring broadband to affordable housing units across New York and improve quality of life for New York families,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY-D).
The program, which is federally funded through the Treasury Department's Capital Projects Fund under the American Rescue Plan Act, is the largest targeted investment in affordable housing connectivity in the nation. Requests for applications are available here.
New York’s Affordable Housing Connectivity Program is a competitive grant program designed to fund high-speed, reliable broadband infrastructure to and within low-income housing buildings. Internet service providers are invited to apply for $100 million in federal funding for retrofits to provide internet infrastructure in affordable housing rental units to support high-speed internet.
Property owners must complete a survey to be considered for no-cost broadband upgrades to their building. ConnectALL will pair eligible properties with the best proposals from Internet Service Providers to complete the installation.
The Affordable Housing Connectivity Program complements Governor Hochul's bold agenda to increase the supply of housing, including affordable housing, and address New York's housing crisis.
Earlier this year, the Governor announced a package of executive actions to promote housing growth across New York State, including: the prioritization of Pro-Housing Communities for $650 million in state discretionary funding; a statewide assessment of state-owned sites for potential housing opportunities; the start of an initiative to address regulatory hurdles to housing production; and the creation of a program to accelerate housing growth in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn.
As part of the FY 2023 Budget, Governor Hochul also secured funding for a five-year, $25 billion housing plan to build and preserve 100,000 affordable homes.
Image via the office of New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
