Fifth NYC Gigabit Center opens in Staten Island
New York City opened the Staten Island Gigabit Center on Tuesday, rounding out the efforts of Mayor Eric Adams and the city’s Office of Technology and Innovation to install one of the high-speed Wi-Fi access centers in each of the five boroughs.
The Staten Island Gigabit Center, located in La Colmena Community Job Center in the Stapleton Heights neighborhood, is primarily geared toward day laborers, domestic workers and other immigrant workers. It provides access to free high-speed internet to pursue employment opportunities, participate in training workshops and English classes and stay connected with friends and family, a news release said.
The Staten Island center is a partnership between OTI, the internet kiosk program LinkNYC and the nonprofit La Colmena, which owns the facility. The city opened its Brooklyn center last month and the Queens facility in December. Two others operate in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood and in the Bronx.
An OTI spokesperson told StateScoop that there could be more centers in the future.
“For our immigrant workers and families, New York City’s promise of a better life depends upon access to reliable, high-speed internet to secure job opportunities, stay socially connected, and learn new skills,” NYC Chief Technology Officer Matt Fraser said in a news release. “Today’s Gigabit Center opening ensures this underserved population in Staten Island receives this important resource — and also demonstrates this administration’s ongoing commitment to serving our broader immigrant community.”
