‘Welcome to the Mesh, Brother’: Guerrilla Wi-Fi Comes to New York

In New York, like most big cities, the wealthier a neighborhood is, the more options for internet service its residents probably have — and the more incentive for providers in those areas to compete on service and price. On some blocks on the Upper West Side, residents can choose among four carriers. In Brownsville, customers can choose between Altice or Optimum — which is owned by Altice. Verizon’s fiber-optic service, Fios, is supposed to be available on every city block, which in theory would spur more competition, but that has yet to happen. While a fiber connection remains the gold standard, “fixed wireless” options can deliver a signal that is plenty strong for most residential uses and usually much faster and cheaper to deploy. NYC Mesh is one of many fixed-wireless outfits in New York City. NYC Mesh has a subsidized option for installations, and members pay a suggested monthly donation of $20 to $60. Other options range from community-owned models — like the D.I.Y. “internet in a box” efforts led by the digital justice organization Community Tech NY, and the internet cooperative People’s Choice, started by former Spectrum strikers — to smaller for-profits like Starry, a Boston-based start-up rolling out flat-rate internet plans of $50 a month in large urban markets including New York City.