New York

Empire State Development announced $7.4 million in awards to 13 organizations across New York State through the ConnectALL Office. The funding advances the capacity of increasing high-quality resources for digital skills, education and access to reach and engage more than 110,000 New Yorkers across the state. Grants include $6.4 million for 10 nonprofit organizations and public institutions serving communities from the North Country to New York City, and $40,000 for a technical assistance partnership with the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe.

The National Digital Inclusion Alliance is thrilled to share the incredible achievements detailed in the New York Digital Inclusion Fund (NYDIF) Innovation Grant Final Report. Over the course of two years, ten Innovation grantees were funded, leading to the creation and expansion of vital digital inclusion programs that address barriers to connectivity, devices, and digital skills.

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) has proposed significant changes to an AI bill that would mandate transparency measures from frontier AI companies. States are increasingly the venue of intense tech lobbying as they get more active on regulating AI, at the same time that President Trump pushes ahead with plans to stop them with an 

The results of digital skills training are of growing interest to policymakers and other stakeholders. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Digital Equity Act (DEA) programs explicitly states that grantees must assess the outcomes of initiatives DEA may fund. That is not the only motivation for understanding the impacts of digital skills programs. States, counties, or local philanthropies that fund such initiatives will want to know their impacts.

New York City is extending Big Apple Connect, a program that offers free internet and cable service to public housing residents, for an additional three years, Mayor Eric Adams and city Chief Technology Officer Matt Fraser announced. Big Apple Connect, which launched in 2022, has provided more than 150,000 households—or 330,000 residents at 220 public housing developments—with free home internet access, more than any other city in the nation, according to the city. B

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced $5.2 million in new awards for four Connectivity Innovations to expand mobile service in Nassau, Otsego, Schenectady, and Warren counties. The Governor also announced over $10 million in awards under the ConnectALL Municipal Infrastructure Program and Affordable Housing Connectivity Program. ConnectALL is also launching three new funding opportunities.

Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) announced 15 broadband infrastructure awards through the Municipal Infrastructure Program (MIP), Affordable Housing Connectivity Program (AHCP), and Deployment Program County Partnerships totaling $52.6 million.

As states and cities across the US seek to close their digital divides, getting a closer look at where and why the problem is particularly persistent is key to finding the right solutions. In New York City, the greatest digital divide exists in the borough of the Bronx. The third-most densely populated county in the US, the Bronx is home to roughly 1.4 million people, as of the most recent census data.

Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) announced the re-release of the ConnectALL Digital Equity Program Capacity Grant Request for Applications, committing over $5 million in State funding to continue New York's digital equity grantmaking after federal funding was terminated by the Trump administration in May 2025. The ConnectALL Digital Equity Program will award grants across the state to support digital equity and inclusion projects that provide New Yorkers with devices, skills, and awareness needed to make use of affordable, reliable broadband service.