Long Island digital access: Libraries, nonprofits, and billions in funding help bridge the divide
Evelyn Mattal, left, and Robyn Berger-Gaston work on a computer in a classroom at the Family Service League facility in Huntington. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Before technology classes even started at the Family Service League in Huntington, volunteers told older adults in the area: Bring in the device that's troubling you.
The community answered the call, showing up with computers and other devices needing upgrades, or asking questions about video-chatting, said Robyn Berger-Gaston, a division director at the nonprofit, which hosts the SeniorNet technology classes.
Many seniors, Berger-Gaston said, feel left behind as connections to relatives, health appointments, or government services more often require digital skills. Society is not paying enough attention "to what seniors really need,” she said, adding, “It’s very frightening.”
But efforts are in play to change that. While libraries, nonprofits and others have made some inroads locally to help, the Biden administration and state officials have allocated funding to bridge the gaps in a digital landscape that has become more critical to everyday activities such as health care and education. Lately, the effort has included building out broadband infrastructure and making the internet more affordable.
It's an ongoing challenge, particularly in rural areas and some communities of color, as well as among teenagers, veterans and some older residents.
For many who have phones without mobile plans, the public library is where they go to chat with friends over Wi-Fi. But even then, there can be limits.
Lambert Shell, director of the Roosevelt Public Library, said he wishes he could provide the entire community with free broadband access to the internet. But he can't at the moment. Instead, he said, library officials allow residents to check out Chromebooks, tablets and hot spots they received through a grant.
"We know that there's a digital divide in the community," he said. "So we try to do the best we can."
The divide also can be seen in Brentwood. A staffer at the Brentwood Public Library recently recalled staff tediously working with a student attempting to submit college financial forms over his cellphone.
Some census tracts in or around areas of Brentwood, Hempstead and Wyandanch are among places where at least 10% of the population have not had a computer or fixed broadband subscription in the home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Digital Equity Act Population Viewer. In a census tract that includes portions of North Bellport, roughly 20% of the population have not had either.
Some East End localities also have connectivity gaps, state data show.
Rajiv Lajmi, facilitator of the Long Island Digital Inclusion Coalition — a group including libraries, government entities and educational institutions that work to bridge the digital divide — said broadband infrastructure, computing access and digital literacy are all key components.
"So much happens online now, access to government services, job applications, that without access … it's challenging for communities," he said.
If more people don't get better access, "we're really going to start leaving people behind," said Lajmi, also the program director of Applied Health Informatics at Stony Brook University.
To avoid that future, Congress has allocated billions to online services under the bipartisan infrastructure law of 2021.
The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program uses roughly $42 billion to help bridge the digital divide throughout the country by building broadband infrastructure.
Recently, officials said New York is set to get roughly $665 million from the BEAD program.
Other parts of the infrastructure law include $2.75 billion for the Digital Equity Act, which uses grants to ensure that communities can be part of the digital economy, the White House said. New York has been allocated more than $2 million so far.
In New York, the ConnectALL initiative seeks to deliver affordable internet access while bolstering digital equity and investing in digital infrastructure, officials said.
State officials also are promoting the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, which they say can give residents who qualify a reduction of up to $30 a month toward internet service. Officials say it also can provide a discount of up to $100 for a new computer or connected device.
To get the funding, a person's household income should be at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, or they should participate in other programs such as Medicaid or public housing, the Federal Communications Commission's website said.
As of late June, more than 1 million New York residents were part of the program. Still, there remain questions about its sustainability because the program may run out of funds, advocates say.
In the meantime, libraries and nonprofits continue to help bridge the digital gap
ConnectALL has conducted public forums across the state on noninfrastructure barriers to broadband use, officials say. In March, about 75 people attended a listening session in Bellport, notes from the meeting show.
There, many participants said libraries are a common place where they access the internet. Some talked about the need for students to have Wi-Fi at home to do their homework, or the need for computer training.
Michael Buono, head of reference and publicity at the Brentwood Public Library, has worked with residents to scan dog-eared documents. He said the internet for many in Brentwood is not so much a question of finding a provider but getting affordable access and digital skills into homes.
Sometimes people make too much money to qualify for affordability programs but still can't afford broadband and cellphone expenditures. And with a significant immigrant population, a language gap and cultural issues come into play.
"It's a domino effect of this one thing [that] caused all these other issues," he said, referring to how not having internet access might affect the ability to pay taxes or get into college.
Irene Duszkiewicz, director of the Hempstead Public Library, said it is common to see people in the parking lot or in front of the building accessing Wi-Fi. The library also uses technology to help people learn English, she said.
"So, I think that the library has really provided a very essential role in getting this gap lessened. They come to the library expecting this because, I think, they're safe here," she said.
A similar sentiment was echoed by Evelyn Mattal, a Family Service League center coordinator who works with the SeniorNet technology classes and was a public school teacher.
People have told her how being part of the classes that focus on learning Excel or accessing pictures on a smartphone helped them get better jobs or have improved contact with a distant relative.
Still, some students come to the classes embarrassed about their lack of technical knowledge. To that end, she said, teachers approach the work with a sense of humor and lightness.
“Having been a teacher, I truly believe that everybody can learn,” she said. “So, if we try something and it doesn’t work. We don’t give up. We’ll do something else.”
Before technology classes even started at the Family Service League in Huntington, volunteers told older adults in the area: Bring in the device that's troubling you.
The community answered the call, showing up with computers and other devices needing upgrades, or asking questions about video-chatting, said Robyn Berger-Gaston, a division director at the nonprofit, which hosts the SeniorNet technology classes.
Many seniors, Berger-Gaston said, feel left behind as connections to relatives, health appointments, or government services more often require digital skills. Society is not paying enough attention "to what seniors really need,” she said, adding, “It’s very frightening.”
But efforts are in play to change that. While libraries, nonprofits and others have made some inroads locally to help, the Biden administration and state officials have allocated funding to bridge the gaps in a digital landscape that has become more critical to everyday activities such as health care and education. Lately, the effort has included building out broadband infrastructure and making the internet more affordable.
WHAT TO KNOW
- Whether it is not being able to afford broadband or the lack of access to a computer, Long Island has some gaps in who gets access to the internet.
- On the local level, libraries and others have helped bridge those gaps. Now, the Biden administration and New York officials have allocated billions as the digital landscape becomes more critical.
- But the challenge of more widespread access and knowledge is difficult, particularly for rural areas and some communities of color and older residents.
It's an ongoing challenge, particularly in rural areas and some communities of color, as well as among teenagers, veterans and some older residents.
For many who have phones without mobile plans, the public library is where they go to chat with friends over Wi-Fi. But even then, there can be limits.
Lambert Shell, director of the Roosevelt Public Library, said he wishes he could provide the entire community with free broadband access to the internet. But he can't at the moment. Instead, he said, library officials allow residents to check out Chromebooks, tablets and hot spots they received through a grant.
On the local level, libraries such as Brentwood's have played a key role in helping residents access the internet more easily. Credit: Morgan Campbell
"We know that there's a digital divide in the community," he said. "So we try to do the best we can."
The divide also can be seen in Brentwood. A staffer at the Brentwood Public Library recently recalled staff tediously working with a student attempting to submit college financial forms over his cellphone.
Some census tracts in or around areas of Brentwood, Hempstead and Wyandanch are among places where at least 10% of the population have not had a computer or fixed broadband subscription in the home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Digital Equity Act Population Viewer. In a census tract that includes portions of North Bellport, roughly 20% of the population have not had either.
Some East End localities also have connectivity gaps, state data show.
Rajiv Lajmi, facilitator of the Long Island Digital Inclusion Coalition — a group including libraries, government entities and educational institutions that work to bridge the digital divide — said broadband infrastructure, computing access and digital literacy are all key components.
"So much happens online now, access to government services, job applications, that without access … it's challenging for communities," he said.
If more people don't get better access, "we're really going to start leaving people behind," said Lajmi, also the program director of Applied Health Informatics at Stony Brook University.
Billions allocated to services
To avoid that future, Congress has allocated billions to online services under the bipartisan infrastructure law of 2021.
The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program uses roughly $42 billion to help bridge the digital divide throughout the country by building broadband infrastructure.
Recently, officials said New York is set to get roughly $665 million from the BEAD program.
Other parts of the infrastructure law include $2.75 billion for the Digital Equity Act, which uses grants to ensure that communities can be part of the digital economy, the White House said. New York has been allocated more than $2 million so far.
In New York, the ConnectALL initiative seeks to deliver affordable internet access while bolstering digital equity and investing in digital infrastructure, officials said.
State officials also are promoting the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, which they say can give residents who qualify a reduction of up to $30 a month toward internet service. Officials say it also can provide a discount of up to $100 for a new computer or connected device.
To get the funding, a person's household income should be at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, or they should participate in other programs such as Medicaid or public housing, the Federal Communications Commission's website said.
As of late June, more than 1 million New York residents were part of the program. Still, there remain questions about its sustainability because the program may run out of funds, advocates say.
Libraries, nonprofits help with access
In the meantime, libraries and nonprofits continue to help bridge the digital gap
ConnectALL has conducted public forums across the state on noninfrastructure barriers to broadband use, officials say. In March, about 75 people attended a listening session in Bellport, notes from the meeting show.
There, many participants said libraries are a common place where they access the internet. Some talked about the need for students to have Wi-Fi at home to do their homework, or the need for computer training.
Michael Buono, head of reference and publicity at the Brentwood Public Library, has worked with residents to scan dog-eared documents. He said the internet for many in Brentwood is not so much a question of finding a provider but getting affordable access and digital skills into homes.
Sometimes people make too much money to qualify for affordability programs but still can't afford broadband and cellphone expenditures. And with a significant immigrant population, a language gap and cultural issues come into play.
"It's a domino effect of this one thing [that] caused all these other issues," he said, referring to how not having internet access might affect the ability to pay taxes or get into college.
Irene Duszkiewicz, director of the Hempstead Public Library, said it is common to see people in the parking lot or in front of the building accessing Wi-Fi. The library also uses technology to help people learn English, she said.
"So, I think that the library has really provided a very essential role in getting this gap lessened. They come to the library expecting this because, I think, they're safe here," she said.
A similar sentiment was echoed by Evelyn Mattal, a Family Service League center coordinator who works with the SeniorNet technology classes and was a public school teacher.
People have told her how being part of the classes that focus on learning Excel or accessing pictures on a smartphone helped them get better jobs or have improved contact with a distant relative.
Still, some students come to the classes embarrassed about their lack of technical knowledge. To that end, she said, teachers approach the work with a sense of humor and lightness.
“Having been a teacher, I truly believe that everybody can learn,” she said. “So, if we try something and it doesn’t work. We don’t give up. We’ll do something else.”
Education: Howard University
Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.
Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation; New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting; Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.
