In partnership with LinkNYC, the NYC Office of Technology & Innovation, and Boldyn Networks, La Colmena provides greater connectivity for Staten Islanders

22% of Staten Island residents and 28% of immigrant households in New York City lack access to an in-home broadband subscription

Staten Island, New York — Today, LinkNYC, in partnership with the NYC Office of Technology & Innovation (OTI), Boldyn Networks, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), and La Colmena, commemorated the first anniversary of the Staten Island Gigabit Center, which launched in April 2023. 

A first-of-its-kind community resource in the borough, the Staten Island Gigabit Center is powered by LinkNYC’s high-speed Wi-Fi and supports La Colmena’s efforts to provide local immigrant community members and people seeking asylum with reliable broadband connectivity, free, tech-focused workshops, and digital literacy training.

According to a 2023 poll conducted by HarrisX, 22 percent of Staten Island residents lack in-home broadband subscriptions. 28 percent of immigrant households citywide lack any internet access. 

“We’re proud of our collaboration with La Colmena to empower Staten Island’s vibrant immigrant communities,” said Nick Colvin, CEO of LinkNYC. “The Gigabit Center ensures immigrant New Yorkers have the connectivity and knowledge they need to thrive in the digital age.”

“Together with LinkNYC, we’ve extended a lifeline of support to empower our newest neighbors in Staten Island,” said Yesenia Mata, Executive Director of La Colmena. “These resources are necessary for newly arrived immigrants in need of free, high-speed broadband to connect with loved ones back home, navigate the complexities of benefit applications, complete financial transactions, learn vital skills, and most importantly forge relationships with the community that help them establish safe and sustainable livelihoods in New York City.”

In 2023, La Colmena provided assistance to over 6,000 individuals. The Center’s no-cost public programs and services also include:

• English classes
• Weekly OSHA/SST training sessions 
• Monthly pop-up services from the Mexican Consulate for 350+ individuals per visit 
• Monthly Immigrants’ rights workshops and ‘Overcoming Digital Borders’ information sessions 
• Small Business Services Entrepreneurial Trainings via Zoom for Affinity groups

“The Adams Administration’s unwavering commitment to bridging the digital divide and supporting working-class New Yorkers is demonstrated through impactful initiatives like the Staten Island Gigabit Center,” said New York City Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser. “We join our partners LinkNYC and La Colmena in celebrating the gigabit center’s first anniversary and look forward to continuing to provide immigrant workers with the reliable, high-speed internet necessary to secure jobs, obtain new skills, and remain socially connected.”

“We’re excited to kick off Immigrant Heritage Week by celebrating the Staten Island Gigabit Center, one of the newest beacons of community and inclusion for immigrants and new arrivals,” said Commissioner Manuel Castro of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA). “La Colmena and LinkNYC’s partnership is a testament to our city’s commitment to support all New Yorkers — regardless of immigration status — with equal access to the digital tools and resources needed to succeed.”

“The Staten Island Gigabit Center successfully delivers critical services to the local community,” said Robert Sokota, President of Link Solutions at Boldyn Networks. “Deploying our infrastructure into a

project like La Colmena reaffirms the importance of providing reliable high-speed internet access to all the underserved areas throughout the city.”

Gigabit Centers are part of LinkNYC’s ongoing partnership with OTI to provide free high-speed Wi-Fi access and digital literacy programming for New Yorkers. Additional Gigabit Centers were established in 2022 and 2023 at Silicon Harlem in Manhattan, the Andrew Freedman Home in the Bronx, the Allen Community Senior Citizens Center in Queens, and Digital Girl, Inc. in Brooklyn.

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About LinkNYC

LinkNYC is the world’s largest and fastest free public Wi-Fi network. Each Link kiosk provides free superfast Wi-Fi, phone calls, device charging, access to social services, and displays content such as real-time weather, transit info, public art, and local information. The city-wide network has more than 15 million Wi-Fi users and has connected more than 30 million free phone calls. All of LinkNYC’s services are completely free to users and taxpayers, provided by CityBridge, a joint venture led by Intersection Media and Boldyn Networks. The second generation offering will deploy thousands of new kiosks, called Link5G, enabled with 5G wireless technology across the city. For more information about LinkNYC or to find a Link near you, visit www.link.nyc.