It’s 2025, but a quarter of Bronx families don’t have broadband internet at home

Al Christian says he doesn’t have internet at his Bronx home because he can’t afford the utility bill. That makes it hard to look for work since most applications and job listings are now online. It also means he can’t watch YouTube, listen to music or FaceTime his adult daughter.

“There's a lot of things you would like to find out on the internet and without that, you ain't really got nothing,” said Christian, 59. “ You can't do a lot.”

April Zarks has Wi-Fi, but doesn’t own a computer in her East Tremont home so she has to read the news on her phone and can’t apply for remote jobs without a device.

“Sometimes it would be better to work with a bigger screen being I have poor vision,” said Zarks, 58.

Internet bills in New York City can range from $30 to $100, and laptops can tack on another $300-$500 or more — expenses that can be out of reach for New Yorkers struggling to pay rising rent, food and child care costs. The affordability crisis is fueling the digital divide in New York City’s poorest borough, where 1 in nearly 4 homes lack broadband internet and 1 in 3 don’t have computers, according to a recent report by the Center for an Urban Future.