Torres calls for free Wi-Fi
Letter demands that Optimum, Spectrum give services to low-income students
BY JASON COHEN
With many students
set to begin remote learning
again in a few weeks,
thousands of low-income
families are still without
access to the internet.
According to a report
from April, there is
a digital divide in NYC
and 500,000 homes have
no Wi-Fi.
On Aug. 17, Congressional
Candidate Councilman
Ritchie Torres
sent a letter to Mayor Bill
de Blasio calling on him
to put pressure on Spectrum
and Optimum to
provide Wi-Fi services to
low-income families with
school-aged children
who cannot afford to pay
through August 2021.
“This is unacceptable
for our children and
families in the midst of
a devastating pandemic
that has disproportionately
affected vulnerable
populations and communities
of color in particular,
who are in greatest
need of our advocacy and
support,” Torres said in
the letter. “These Internet
providers have been
profi ting off the backs
of low-income families
and charging exorbitant
fees in the midst of this
unprecedented crisis.”
Torres, who is the
chair of the City Council’s
Oversight and Investigations
Committee, will
lead an investigation and
Council hearing into this
matter unless Spectrum
and Optimum do right by
families and provide Wi-
Fi services to low-income
students in need.
In the spring, these
companies offered free
Wi-Fi for 60 days to new
customers with K-12 or
college students at home
due to the pandemic.
However, when that time
period ended, the Wi-Fi
was not renewed. In the
meantime, COVID-19 is
still ongoing and many
people are out of work
and choosing food and
rent over the internet.
“During these unprecedented
BRONX TIMES R 20 EPORTER, AUG. 28-SEPT. 3, 2020 BTR
times, we need
Wi-Fi providers’ commitment
to help keep students
connected and supported
while engaged in
remote learning,” Torres
said in the letter. “Reliable,
affordable Internet
service is a necessity in
this critical moment, and
charging expensive fees
for it is unconscionable
during this public health
crisis. It is imperative
that the city demand this
essential service from
Spectrum and Optimum
so that families and students
can stay connected
to their classrooms. Free
Wi-Fi service will provide
desperately needed
relief to New Yorkers
who need it most during
this crisis.”
Councilman Ritchie Torres sent a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio calling on him to put
pressure on Spectrum and Optimum to provide Wi-Fi services to low-income families
with school-aged children who cannot afford to pay through August 2021.
Courtesy of Facebook of Ritchie Torres