Starry Expands Ultra-Low-Cost Broadband Access to Jersey City Housing Authority Residents

The Jersey City Housing Authority is the 9th public housing authority to join Starry’s digital equity program, Starry Connect.

Starry Group Holdings, Inc. (the “Company” or “Starry”)​​, a next generation licensed fixed wireless internet service provider and technology developer, today announced a partnership with the Jersey City Housing Authority (“JCHA”) to provide access to its Starry Connect program for residents at the Hudson Gardens and Thomas J. Stewart communities in Jersey City, New Jersey. Residents will have access to Starry Connect’s high-speed, uncapped home broadband service, with plans starting as low as $15 per month with no data caps, no long-term contracts, no credit checks, no extra fees for equipment, free installation and 24/7 world-class customer support.

Additionally, residents in both communities can opt-into the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides a subsidy of up to $30 per month towards broadband access for eligible households. For residents that sign up for Starry’s service and opt-in to the ACP program, that benefit can cover the entire cost of broadband service for the household while the program remains in effect. Starry launched service in Hudson Gardens, a 224-unit family community, in April 2022. Service to Thomas J. Stewart, a 48-unit senior community, will launch in May 2022.

“At Starry, we believe that connectivity is a social good and therefore should be both affordable and ubiquitous,” said Virginia Lam Abrams, Starry’s Executive Vice President of Government Affairs and Strategic Advancement. “Unfortunately, the high cost of broadband creates an insurmountable hurdle for many of our families living in public and affordable housing to get the home connectivity they need for school, work, and staying connected with loved ones. Starry is proud to partner with JCHA to provide access to low- and no-cost broadband service options to residents of Hudson Gardens and Thomas J. Stewart Apartments.”

“JCHA began focusing on digital equity in 2018, joining ConnectHomeUSA, a national initiative led by EveryoneOn, which seeks to bridge the digital divide for residents of HUD-assisted housing,” said Vivian-Brady-Phillips, JCHA Executive Director. “Research at that time showed fewer than 30% of public housing residents had internet access, and even those who were connected generally lacked laptops or computers. The pandemic has widened the impact of this digital divide, while drawing attention to the barriers that leave low-income households disconnected. We are ecstatic to partner with Starry to bridge this gap by building essential broadband infrastructure and offering high-speed, low-cost access to our residents.”

The Jersey City Housing Authority is New Jersey’s second largest public housing authority, providing more than 15,000 residents with quality affordable housing opportunities. JCHA has approximately 7,100 housing units in its portfolio, including approximately 2,400 public housing units and 4,700 Housing Choice Vouchers.

“In Jersey City, we are implementing innovative solutions to help close the digital divide and ensure all of our residents, regardless of income, are afforded equitable opportunities, especially when it comes to their education and employment,” said Jersey City Mayor Steven M. Fulop. “Over the past year, we’ve successfully wired three JCHA public housing developments with high-speed, low-cost internet services, and this latest partnership with Starry will include two additional sites to help hundreds of residents.”

Today, nearly a quarter of Americans are without a broadband connection at home, with financial constraints being one of the most important reasons why they forgo this service, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center¹. Starry designed its Starry Connect program to address the digital divide by providing an affordable and ultra-low-barrier broadband option to public and affordable housing communities. Starry Connect brings ultra-low-cost broadband service to public and affordable housing residents without requiring credit checks, long-term contracts, individual eligibility requirements (such as household participation in SNAP, WIC or Medicaid) or a lengthy application process. Starry Connect plans start at $15 per month for 30 Mbps symmetrical speeds. This innovative approach to removing broadband adoption barriers earned Starry designation as a ConnectHomeUSA stakeholder through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2019.

The following broadband service plans are available exclusively in Starry Connect partner communities:

The Starry Connect program covers more than 63,000 units of public and affordable housing across New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, DC, Virginia, California, Colorado and Ohio. JCHA is the Connect program’s ninth public housing partner joining the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), Denver Housing Authority, Boston Housing Authority, Brookline Housing Authority, Cambridge Housing Authority, Innovative Housing Concepts (Englewood CO Housing Authority) and Metro West Housing Solutions (Lakewood CO Housing Authority) as public housing partners. In addition, Starry also works with nonprofit and privately-owned affordable housing owners such as Related Affordable, Beacon Communities, Schochet Properties, Neighborhood Developers, and many others.

To learn more about Starry, Starry Connect, or sign-up for Starry service, visit https://starry.com.

About Starry Group Holdings, Inc.

At Starry (NYSE: STRY), we believe the future is built on connectivity and that connecting people and communities to high-speed, broadband internet should be simple and affordable. Using our innovative, wideband hybrid-fiber fixed wireless technology, Starry is deploying gigabit capable broadband to the home without bundles, data caps, or long-term contracts. Starry is a different kind of internet service provider. We’re building a platform for the future by putting our customers first, protecting their privacy, ensuring access to an open and neutral net, and making affordable connectivity and digital equity a priority. Headquartered in Boston, Starry is currently available in Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Denver and Columbus, OH. To learn more about Starry or to join our team and help us build a better internet, visit: https://starry.com.

^[1] Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021, The Pew Research Center, June 2021

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/06/03/mobile-technology-and-home-broadband-2021/

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