Syracuse’s digital crisis: 1 out of 4 homes doesn’t have internet

Syracuse (NY) is the 10th worst city in the nation for digital connectivity. One-quarter of the city’s 54,000 households have no internet. That means people from more than 13,000 homes have to go to a library or a school or a neighbor’s house if they want to get online. Additionally, nearly half of the city’s homes don’t have high-speed broadband. Several thousand households rely solely on a cellular data plan to get online, meaning people have to chew up expensive data on their phone to access the web. Mayor Ben Walsh is exploring several ways to improve broadband connectivity in the city’s digital deserts, mostly stemming from an ambitious plan to purchase nearly 18,000 streetlights from National Grid. Officials plan to use that network to install technology that will improve access to Wi-Fi, 4G and emerging 5G cellular networks in the city’s digital deserts.