Avalon Gardens public housing to get affordable internet from Starry

Los Angeles officials announced the expansion of the internet provider Starry, Inc. to 164 households in Avalon Gardens, a public housing project in Green Meadows operated by the Housing Authority of the city of Los Angeles.

The expansion was announced Friday by Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilman Curren Price at Avalon Gardens, the ninth HACLA project to have access to Starry’s internet service, which officials tout as affordable, reliable and high-speed. The city began partnering with Starry in June 2020, soon after the pandemic highlighted the digital divide as students and workers switched to working from home.

The partnership initially provided internet access to 601 households at Mar Vista Gardens. In October 2020, service for HACLA residents expanded through a collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Budget and Innovation and Microsoft’s Airband Initiative.

“Access to a reliable internet connection is more essential today than ever for parents, students, job seekers and folks looking to stay connected with their loved ones,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “Through this program, Starry is providing the residents of Avalon Gardens with that connection and opening new doors of opportunity to employment, education and more.”

HACLA residents have the option to sign up for Starry’s 30 mbps symmetrical home broadband for $15 per month. The services do not have data caps, long-term contracts or fees for equipment or installation. It also comes with 24/7 customer support, Starry said. HACLA residents also have the option to upgrade to higher-speed tiers.

“We believe every family deserves access to affordable, high-quality home broadband service and our goal with Starry Connect is to extend that access to communities we know are being underserved,” said Chet Kanojia, Starry co-founder and CEO.

Starry also said it partnered with Microsoft to refurbish the Avalon Gardens’ computer lab with new WiFi access, computers, printers and accessories for residents to use.

“Here at the Housing Authority of the city of Los Angeles, we’re so happy to see our partnership with Starry going strong,” said HACLA President and CEO Doug Guthrie. “Many people are still working and learning from home, and it’s important that we make digital inclusion a priority. With Starry Connect now available at more than half of our public housing sites, we are well on our way to closing the digital inequity gap in our communities.”

The partnership with HACLA is part of the Starry Connect program launched in 2018 to address the digital divide and provide affordable broadband to public and affordable housing complexes.

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