What's fantastic about this is the open wifi in low income neighborhoods. If you look at Pew stats: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2...
Low income folks increasingly have smartphones (income <$30K: 50%) and smartphones are largely their only way to access the internet ("smartphone-dependent" - 13% of Americans in households with income <$30K rely on their phones for internet access, as opposed to 1% for those who make >$70K).
My team's research shows that low income folks largely use the internet largely the same way higher income folks do: banking, shopping, research, and yes, gaming. http://labs.robinhood.org/mobile-tech-impact-potential/
Anecdotally, the way many people access the internet on their smartphones is camping out at mcdonalds, starbucks, public libraries, etc. with open wifi. Imagine having to walk to the nearest Mcdonalds to do your online banking.
These wireless corridors will be transformative.
That's a pretty uncharitable perspective, no? Giving free internet access to poorer residents will have a lot of impact outside of Candy Crush.
And while it would be great to bring more competition to the NYC market, it would cost a lot more than bringing some wi-fi coverage to various areas of the city.