Starry Connect Expands Its Reach to More Than 29,000 Units of Public and Affordable Housing

In 2020, we became more dependent than ever on having reliable internet access. As we moved to working, schooling and socializing from the safety of our homes, that shift exposed major inequities in broadband access across the United States. This digital gap is even more pronounced in public and affordable housing, communities that have been traditionally under-connected and underserved by incumbent providers.

At the core of Starry’s mission is the belief that everyone deserves access to affordable and reliable broadband, no matter where you live. However, the inequities in broadband access existed long before the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing this, in 2018, we launched Starry Connect to help address what we saw as an urgent need for ultra-low-cost broadband options across public and affordable housing.

Starry Connect’s high-quality, ultra-low-cost internet access program provides a true broadband experience, with no data caps, long-term contracts, credit checks or complex eligibility requirements. We designed Starry Connect to be accessible, eliminating the barriers to adoption that traditionally dissuaded families from utilizing other affordable broadband programs.

When the COVID-19 health crisis emerged, we knew we had to act quickly. We provided multiple months of free service to our Connect subscribers as part of our Keeping Americans Connected pledge; we donated computers to families who needed devices for online learning; and we gave a Fresh Start to subscribers who fell behind on payments due to COVID-19.  

But what we’re most proud of is how quickly our teams moved to add new housing partners and connect new public and affordable housing communities during the pandemic. From March to December, we added more than 20,000 units of public and affordable housing to our Starry Connect program, tripling the reach of our ultra-low-cost offering and providing much needed broadband access for communities who needed it most. Today, Starry Connect is available across more than 29,000 units of public and affordable housing in Boston, New York, Los Angeles and Denver.

“In 2018, we set out to develop a digital equity program that would be laser-focused on providing ultra-low-cost and ultra-low-barrier broadband access to communities that have long been underserved and overlooked” said Alex Moulle-Berteaux, Chief Operating Officer for Starry. “We designed the Starry Connect program as a way to take meaningful action to close the digital divide. When the COVID-19 health crisis hit our communities, we doubled down on that commitment, accelerating our deployment of Connect to ensure the digital divide didn’t become a digital gulf in the midst of this pandemic.”

To learn more about Starry Connect, become a Starry Connect partner or sign-up for Starry Connect service,  visit http://dos5.net/starryconnect.