NEWARK, NJ (SBN) — Invest Newark and Newark Alliance are helping more than 31,000 Newark households now have high-speed Internet through the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), saving Newark families nearly $1 million a month. The ACP provides a $30-a-month discount to eligible households, enabling them to obtain free or discounted Internet service from most home and wireless providers.
Newark has a digital divide caused by lack of access and adoption of broadband. According to 2021 U.S. Census numbers, nearly one in five Newark households do not have an Internet subscription at home. Additionally, 10 percent of Newark families lack a computer.
SBN News Director Steve Lubetkin chatted about the program recently with Aaron Myerson, Newark’s chief innovation economy officer and director of broadband. You can listen to the interview in the player below.
About half of Newark’s 110,000 households are eligible for the ACP program. With outreach underway, nearly 30 percent of the city is enrolled, with 10,000 households added in 2023 alone.
“A quality Internet connection is not a luxury; it’s a necessity that unlocks opportunities in jobs, schooling, healthcare, and more,” said U.S. Senator Cory Booker. “This milestone is testament to the hard work of Mayor Ras J. Baraka’s administration, Invest Newark, Newark Alliance, and many others to increase access and expand opportunity in Newark. I’m committed to continue working with them as I fight in Congress to extend funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, a vital investment in working families in Newark and across America.”
ABOUT INVEST NEWARK
Invest Newark, the city’s Economic Development Corporation, propels economic growth by championing small businesses, improving internet access, and facilitating real estate development. These endeavors lead to job creation and wealth generation, enhancing the overall welfare of Newark’s residents. Distinguished by our unwavering dedication to equity and sustainability, Invest Newark stands apart as a forward-thinking development agency. Stay up to date on Invest Newark’s latest news by following the group on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn, or visit InvestNewark.org.
ABOUT NEWARK ALLIANCE
The Newark Alliance, through the combined strength and collaboration of its Members, drives inclusive economic growth for all of Newark, New Jersey. Alliance members comprise Newark’s premier businesses, anchor institutions, and community partners, including Fortune 100 & 500 companies and several of the country’s top universities, developers, hospitals, and arts institutions. United by a shared vision, the Alliance and its Members work collaboratively to cement Newark’s status as one of America’s most diverse, prosperous, exciting, and equitable cities. Visit newark-alliance.org.
Steve Lubetkin is the news director for StateBroadcastNews.com. Steve’s journalism background includes print and broadcast reporting for NJ news organizations. He refocused on multimedia journalism and podcast production after a long career in corporate branded journalism and public relations.
He has won numerous awards for his audio and video news reporting from the Garden State Journalists Association, and he has also been recognized for video by the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He has produced a wide range of audio and video podcasts in his other role as managing partner of State Broadcast News’s parent, The Lubetkin Media Companies.
Steve is co-author, with Toronto-based podcasting pioneer Donna Papacosta, of the book, The Business of Podcasting: How to Take Your Podcasting Passion from the Personal to the Professional.
In March 2021, he was elected to the board of directors of the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and in July 2021 he was named secretary of the chapter. In August 2021, he was honored by SPJ with one of the organization’s 2021 Howard S. Dubin Outstanding Pro Member Awards, given to regular members of an SPJ chapter who go above and beyond in serving their chapter.
Steve has been the computer columnist for the Jewish Community Voice of Southern New Jersey, since 1996.
Steve also has reported on-camera and produces virtual conferences for NJSpotlightNews.org, a public policy news coverage website focused on New Jersey government and industry; and for clients of StateBroadcastNews.com, a division of The Lubetkin Media Companies LLC.
From May-November 2019, he produced and reported a weekly podcast, The CRE News Hour, a news and features program focusing on the commercial real estate industry.
From 2014 to 2019 he was New Jersey and Philadelphia editor for GlobeSt.com and filled in covering Chicago/Midwest and Atlanta.
Steve has also served (from August 2017 to March 2018) as national broadcast news correspondent for CEOReport.com, a news website focused on practical advice for senior executives in small- and medium-sized companies.
Earlier in his career, Steve reported on rock music at the Jersey Shore for the Asbury Park Press, and was a broadcast news anchor and production engineer for WJLK-AM & FM, then owned by the Press. He also worked as a general assignment reporter for the Red Bank Register, Shrewsbury, NJ.
You can email Steve at steve@statebroadcastnews.com.
