ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)- The state has been trying to close the gap of broadband connectivity to make the internet accessible and affordable. Progress has been made, yet more than a million New York households cannot get or don’t have internet service, based on a report released Tuesday by State Comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli.
DiNapoli making a point to say that more than one million New Yorkers, or 13.8%, do not subscribe to an internet service. Many of these households do not make more than $20k annually. He said that one in three low-income households do not have access to the internet. While some use smartphones with robust capabilities to address their needs, cost is commonly cited as a top reason for not having broadband at home, according to the report.
Looking a little deeper into the demographics of those New Yorkers without broadband service revealed they were more likely to not have graduated from high school, make less than $20k, or be 65 years or older.
New Yorkers who didn’t have internet access based on 2019 data
- People with a bachelor degree- 5%
- People without a high school education- 26.7%
- Households making more than $75k- 4.5%
- Households making less than $20k- 36.2%
- People ages 18 to 64- 8%
- People aged 65 or older- 24%
“The state has taken significant steps to make broadband available to most New Yorkers, but there is still a digital divide in rural parts of New York and for low-income New Yorkers who don’t have access or are unable to afford a home subscription. High-speed connections are an imperative for economic development and equal opportunity,” said DiNapoli.
DiNapoli says that from 2013 to 2019, the number of people without access to broadband went from a reported 518,000 to 253,000 people in New York. Approximately half of those people still without access were from Long Island (25%), Mid-Hudson Valley (12%), and New York City (12%), the report found. Individually, Allegany (23.4%), Cattaraugus (17.9%), and Hamilton (14.7%) counties had the highest percentage of people without internet.
Even with an estimated 13.6% of households without internet access, people in the Capital Region were the most connected. Only 3% of the population are without internet service.
| Region | % of households without access to broadband |
| North Country | 19.3% |
| Mohawk Valley | 18.2% |
| Central New York | 17.1% |
| Southern Tier | 16.6% |
| Western New York | 16.3% |
| New York City | 16% |
| Finger Lakes | 14.8% |
| Capital Region | 13.6% |
| Mid-Hudson | 12.4% |
| Long Island | 9.2% |
| Region | Number of people without internet access |
| New York City | 30,762 |
| Mid-Hudson | 30,349 |
| Western New York | 30,041 |
| Long Island | 61,231 |
| Finger Lakes | 20,877 |
| Capital Region | 6,198 |
| Central New York | 9,549 |
| Southern Tier | 19,569 |
| Mohawk Valley | 18,569 |
| North Country | 20,914 |
“Reliable, high-speed internet is a necessity to effectively work, communicate and learn in our society and that was made crystal clear during the COVID-19 pandemic when millions of New Yorkers turned their homes into schools and workplaces,” DiNapoli said.
To help more households get connected to the internet, he also said the state should take action immediately and seek funding under the American Rescue Plan by creating a detailed plan.
The plan should encompass: a way to make high-speed internet available universally including rural areas; strengthen access for low-come households as well as community institutions, schools, libraries, and parks; improve affordability especially for low-income households.
Check out the table below that shows the percentage of the population in Capital Region counties without access to broadband services. The Comptroller’s report has an interactive map with all county information.
| County | % of population without available broadband |
| Albany | .3% |
| Columbia | .8% |
| Fulton | 3.4% |
| Greene | 1.7% |
| Montgomery | 2.1% |
| Rensselaer | 0% |
| Saratoga | .1% |
| Schenectady | 0% |
| Schoharie | .9% |
| Warren | 3.8% |
| Washington | 2.3% |
As a whole, New York ranks second nationally for accessibility to broadband services with an estimated 99% of the state with access. Comparatively, in the United States as a whole, 96% of people have access to broadband. The only state to top New York was Connecticut with just a slightly higher percentage.
