This week, the New York City Council held a hearing on the LinkNYC program—a first-in-the-nation initiative to blanket New York City in free WiFi. We were proud to testify in support of this exciting and important initiative.

LinkNYC is a partnership between Tech:NYC member company Intersection and the City of New York to rethink and repurpose the city’s underutilized public pay phones. The LinkNYC “kiosks” will support hundreds of WiFi users simultaneously within a range of 150-250 feet with internet speeds up to 100 times faster than the internet that most New Yorkers pay for in their homes. The kiosks will also allow users to make free phone calls, access city information and services including 911 service, and charge their own cell phones with USB connections.

The LinkNYC roll-out is well underway, and it will require stakeholders to remain engaged to ensure that the initiative works for all New Yorkers. We’re looking forward to participating in those conversations, which will help ensure LinkNYC’s success and send a strong message that NYC is a leader in thinking about how to provide access to technology to all of its citizens.

Tech:NYC's testimony is available here.