NYC Public Advocate Outlines 15-Year Municipal Broadband Plan

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2026 – New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams outlined his “Internet for All” plan in a report released Wednesday.

The plan, designed to reduce costs and increase access for broadband in New York City, seeks to make fiber universally available throughout New York City. The proposal involves creating a municipal system with a not-for-profit public option for high-speed internet access.

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“Customers in the Bronx pay the highest average cost per month, $79.82, for the slowest average speeds, about 198.02 megabits per second among the boroughs,” Williams said.

Williams previously called for municipalizing New York City’s electrical grid in a report six years ago, citing similar concerns related to affordability. His new Internet plan comes amid Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s $2 million announcement to expand the city’s Neighborhood Internet program, which provides free broadband service to low-income residents in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan.

Wiliams’s 15-year plan would begin with stronger oversight of existing broadband providers before moving to the acquisition of broadband infrastructure and expanded fiber deployment. The final phase envisions a citywide municipal broadband network offering a nonprofit public option for high-speed internet service.

Municipal broadband projects have been the subject of debate nationwide, with supporters arguing public ownership can lower prices and expand access, while critics contend government-run networks can be costly and difficult to sustain.