Why New York City Should Not Build a Municipal Broadband Network

The New York City Public Advocate’s Office recently released an “Internet for All” Plan that, among many other things, recommends spending more than $2 billion to build a city-owned open-access municipal fiber network across the five boroughs. The Plan also suggests that the city explore ways to potentially seize infrastructure owned by a private electric utility, Con Edison, via eminent domain to support this initiative. The Public Advocate’s Plan comes at an interesting time in New York City. In late 2025, the New York City Council passed a law requiring the mayor to develop an internet master plan. This would be the second time an NYC mayor issued such a plan. In January 2020, then-mayor Bill de Blasio released his own Internet Master Plan, which recommended spending upwards of $2.1 billion to deploy a citywide public fiber network, like what the Public Advocate is now calling for. The IMP was shelved by de Blasio’s successor, Eric Adams. The law requires Mayor Zohran Mamdani to release a draft broadband plan by November 2026 and a final version by May 1, 2027.