Overview
Snapshot
- Eligibility
- Internet Service Providers
- Regulated Affordable Housing Properties
- Funding Amount & Target
- Total funding available: $100 Million
- 100,000 housing units to be served
- Grant Size: $500-$1,000 per unit
The Affordable Housing Connectivity Program is improving broadband access in regulated affordable rental units across New York State.
Empire State Development's ConnectALL Office, in consultation with NYS Homes and Community Renewal, has launched the Affordable Housing Connectivity Program, a first-ever infrastructure initiative to upgrade in-unit broadband infrastructure for low-income, affordable housing residents that currently have unreliable, unaffordable, or nonexistent internet service options in their homes, at no cost to property owners.
By funding infrastructure upgrades to create initial or open-access building wiring, the State is attracting Internet Service Providers to often-overlooked affordable housing properties so that tenants can access high-quality home internet service at affordable monthly rates. Following the completion of broadband upgrades to buildings, residents will also be able to access digital equity and device support services through Internet Service Providers, community-based organizations, and property managers and owners.
AHCP will serve as many as 100,000 affordable housing units.
Awards
| Awardee | Region | Metropolitan Area | Award Amount Up To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flume Internet | New York City | Upper Manhattan and The Bronx | $4,573,875 |
| Flume Internet | Western New York | City of Buffalo | $4,678,198 |
| Flume Internet | Finger Lakes | Greater Rochester | $3,980,474 |
Program Dates
- 2023: Program Design and Property Pipeline Preparation
- 2024 through 2026: Grantee and Property Matching
- 2024 through 2026: Awarding Grants
- 2024 through 2026: New Infrastructure Deployed, Digital Inclusion Resources Offered
Eligible Applicants: Internet Service Providers
Internet service providers and other entities with broadband deployment experience are encouraged to respond to the Affordable Housing Connectivity Program Request for Applications, see Request for Applications Package section below.
Applications will be submitted in a two-step process. Section One applications will be accepted on a rolling basis starting in January 2024. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications as soon as they are able. Once applicants are notified that their application to Section One is approved, they may submit applications for Section Two as often as ConnectALL publishes eligible Property Portfolios. Section Two applications for each Portfolio of Properties will have a deadline and will not be reviewed on a rolling basis.
As preliminary awards are made, ConnectALL will execute individual agreements with grantees and oversee the development of agreements between grantees and affordable housing property owners to ensure quality and affordability standards are met at each property.
Applicants seeking to serve specific properties should inform those property owners to complete the owner interest survey. Survey respondents may indicate an existing partnership with an eligible entity, but such an indication is not binding on the Applicant, the property owner, or ConnectALL.
To learn more you can review the:
- Affordable Housing Connectivity Program Request for Application Package below.
- View the recording and presentation from the Information Session for Internet Service Providers on January 5th, 2024.
- View the recording and presentation from the AHCP - Application Information Session (Best Practices) on October 22, 2024.
- Questions regarding the Affordable Housing Connectivity Program Request for Applications can be sent to [email protected]. Responses will be posted and updated.
How to Apply
- Affordable Housing Connectivity Program Request for Applications (Updated 7/26/24)
- Questions & Answers on the Request for Applications (Updated 8/30/24)
- Questions & Answers on the Request for Applications - Section 2 (Updated 8/30/24)
- Application Instructions and Checklist - Affordable Housing Connectivity Program Section One
- Application Instructions and Checklist - Affordable Housing Connectivity Program Section Two (Section Two is for applicants who have been notified of an eligible or conditionally eligible Section One Application)
- Applications must be submitted in New York State's Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) Platform.
- Affordable Housing Connectivity Program Service Tiers and Pricing Template
- Grant Program Guidelines
- Network Design - CAO Guidance for Internet Service Providers (revised 1/22/2025)
- Digital Equity and Customer-Resident Adoption and Utilization - CAO Guidance for Internet Service Providers
Eligible Affordable Housing Properties
Eligible Affordable Housing Properties include:
- Regulated affordable properties that demonstrate they lack access to reliable, high-speed broadband service or lack broadband competition in the local internet market
- Urban, suburban, and rural locations
- Townhomes, single-, and multi-family housing
- Workforce, senior, veteran, supportive, and other varieties of affordable housing
- Regulated affordable properties that are owned or managed by groups with operational capacity and readiness for an equipment upgrade
- Regulated affordable properties owned by nonprofits and for-profits alike
Property Owners Take Our Survey to Express Interest
If you are a building owner interested in receiving no-cost new or upgraded broadband infrastructure at your property, regardless of whether your building already has broadband wiring, please complete the Building Conditions Self-Assessment. The information provided will be used to match your property with an Internet Service Provider that will develop an installation plan tailored to your building(s).
We recommend owners review all questions before preparing a submission to the Building Conditions Self-Assessment to understand the building and technical information you may need to retrieve.
To learn more, you can review the:
- Recording on YouTube and presentation from the Affordable Housing Connectivity Program Forum for Property Owners (updated August 2024)
- Building Condition Self-Assessment Survey for property owners interested in participating in the program
- Building Access Agreement Framework – CAO Advisory Guidance for Property Owners
- Q&A for Property Owners (Updated 8/30/2024)
U.S Dept. of Treasury Award to ConnectALL
Capital Projects Fund Performance Report, July 2024
Capital Projects Fund Performance Report, July 2023
U.S. Department of Treasury press release, March 2023
U.S. Department of Treasury fact sheet, March 2023
Contact Us
Please send your questions regarding the Affordable Housing Connectivity Program to: [email protected]. To sign-up for a ConnectALL mailing list or ask a question unrelated to AHCP use this contact form.