(Telecompaper) New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said the city will invest USD 70 million over the next ten years, in order to make broadband available to all 8.5 million New Yorkers, Cnet reported. The funding is for De Blasio's ten-year OneNYC technology plan announced in April. The project wants to help level the playing field in terms of economic opportunity among NYC residents and to take advantage of the jobs tech startups are creating in the city. De Blasio said he sees the technology industry as a way to close the income gap between rich and poor in the city. Around 20 percent of New Yorkers currently lack access to broadband at home. The number rises to 36 percent for low-income households. Nationally, about 17 percent of households do not have broadband, according to a recent report from the FCC.