Continuing digital equity efforts, NYC kicks off Digital Inclusion Week
Following an expansion of efforts to bolster digital equity across the five boroughs, New York City’s Office of Technology and Innovation on Monday kicked off its Digital Inclusion Week. The event is part of a national collection of events co-hosted by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance designed to raise awareness.
The week’s festivities come several months after the city published its NYC Digital Equity Roadmap and hired its first chief digital equity officer, Paolo Balboa, to lead its implementation. The city also recently launched an interagency Digital Equity Working Group, as laid out in the roadmap, consisting of member from 25 city agencies. The roadmap was accompanied by a $2.4 million initiative promoting digital equity efforts at older adult centers, libraries and for-public housing.
On Thursday, the city is hosting a free forum at Civic Hall in Manhattan titled “Connecting NYC: Advancing Digital Equity,” which will bring together a number of city and state leaders, community organizations, researchers and advocates to speak about digital equity in the era of artificial intelligence, strategies to address the broadband affordability gap and digital navigation in New York. The theme of NYC’s Digital Inclusion Week this year is “Community-Driven Digital Futures,” which aims to recognize the direct impact that communities and organizations have on closing the digital divide.
In addition to this week’s celebration of digital equity efforts, New York City has announced a number of investments and initiatives this year under Mayor Eric Adams aimed at close the digital divide, through programs such as Big Apple Connect and Gigabit Centers. And last month, the city announced it would distribute 350,000 internet-enabled Google Chromebooks to public school students across all five boroughs during the 2025–26 school year. Adams announced at the end of September he will not seek reelection for mayor.
“New York City is more connected than ever thanks to the Adams administration’s sustained efforts to bridge the digital divide,” NYC Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser said in a news release. “We recognized the urgent need for greater access to the internet, devices, and digital skills training for our underconnected communities – and took decisive action to make these essential services available for free. Under Mayor Adams, New York City provides free internet access to more residents than any other city. … This Digital Inclusion Week, I invite all New Yorkers to join me in celebrating our city government’s vital contributions toward enhancing technology access for those who need it most.”
