Annie Correal

When New York City announced in 2014 that a private company would replace pay phones with thousands of kiosks offering free Wi-Fi, Mayor Bill de Blasio called it “a critical step toward a more equal, open, and connected city.” Five years later, many New Yorkers regard the nine-and-a-half-foot panels as little more than miniature billboards and a source of amusing city trivia. The company behind LinkNYC, CityBridge, has installed just 1,774 of the 7,500 promised kiosks.