Hartford to provide free, citywide Wi-Fi through partnership with Dalio and Hartford Foundation, starting with low-income neighborhoods
Free, citywide Wi-Fi is coming to Hartford through a public-private partnership between the city, Dalio Education and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Mayor Luke Bronin announced Wednesday.
While Hartford has previously worked to improve internet access throughout the city, the coronavirus pandemic brought new urgency to the effort as thousands of families transitioned in March to learning and working from home. Dalio Education and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving are each investing $1.5 million for capital expenses, and the city will contribute $800,000 and cover recurring costs of about $100,000 per year.
The investment is separate from a $43.5 million initiative the state announced Tuesday to boost access to internet and technology for students and families in need.
“This project is about bridging the digital divide, fighting for educational equity and expanding economic opportunity in every Hartford neighborhood,” Bronin said. “Internet connectivity is not a luxury, it’s an essential part of learning, earning and living today, and we believe that every Hartford resident and every Hartford business deserves a good quality internet connection.”
Jay Williams, president of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, said the health crisis sharpened its focus on supporting basic human needs. While many services can be accessed virtually, many Hartford neighborhoods have no access to high-speed internet, he said.
“With schools and businesses closing and people looking to obtain vital services, access telehealth and educate their children virtually, it became clear that we must expand our definition of basic human needs to respond to the stark digital divide in our region,” Williams said. “We are proud to support this partnership to ensure that every Hartford resident has access to high-speed internet to seek employment, participate in online schooling, access well-being services and a host of other things many of us take for granted.”
The project will be phased in, starting with pilot programs in Northeast Hartford and Frog Hollow, two sections of the city with high concentrations of underemployment and poverty. The first phase is expected to be completed by the end of 2020, and subsequent phases will extend Wi-Fi throughout the North End, the South End and then the West End of the city.
All residents will be able to access the network outdoors and in their homes, receiving at all times a minimum of LTE speeds for downloading, streaming and browsing — the standard speed for most cell phones, Bronin said. The city said it will install an extensive network of outdoor, wireless access points across the city, with the expectation that most city residents will be able to access faster than LTE-speed internet.
“The coming together of the City of Hartford, the Hartford Foundation and Dalio Education to jointly fund the providing of connectivity for the Hartford residents who lack connectivity thrills me,” said philanthropist Barbara Dalio, founder and director of Dalio Education. “It is what needed to happen.”
The effort was months in the making, led by city Chief Operating Officer Thea Montanez and Metro Hartford Innovation Services, which provides the city’s information technology support.
“In 2020, the internet should be provided as a basic utility, accessible to everyone — because it is a basic necessity of life,” City Council President Maly Rosado said. “Like so many other inequities, uneven access to internet in Connecticut often reflects deep racial segregation. Residents of Hartford have deserved quality internet for a long, long time, and we are thrilled that we are finally making progress on this critical priority.”
Rebecca Lurye can be reached at rlurye@courant.com.
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