T-Mobile agreed to improve the home Internet service it provides to low-income New Yorkers after the New York attorney general’s office found that it significantly capped speeds for participants in a state-mandated affordable service program and made plans difficult to find.
The Affordable Broadband Act requires home Internet providers to offer high-speed broadband plans at reduced costs to eligible households. The service cannot cost more than $15 per month for download speeds of 25 Mbps, or $20 per month for speeds of at least 200 Mbps. It is open to households receiving government benefits, including Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, and Home Energy Assistance Program benefits.
Only 15 homes statewide were enrolled in T-Mobile’s Affordable Broadband Act plans, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Letitia James said. His office said the company coded its website so that information about the projects did not appear in search engine results, despite the law’s requirement that Internet service providers make efforts to promote their affordable broadband plans.
James said customers participating in the program saw their speed reduced by more than 97 percent, to just 650 kilobits per second, after using 50 gigabytes of data in a month — a limit his office estimated a typical user would reach after four days of service.
“Reliable, affordable internet service is a basic need for all New Yorkers, but T-Mobile has flouted the law designed to help vulnerable New Yorkers access it,” James said. “My office is committed to seeing the Affordable Broadband Act achieve its goal of ensuring that New Yorkers in need are not denied access to affordable home internet. I encourage all eligible New Yorkers to sign up for a low-cost home internet plan through the ABA.”
James’ office said T-Mobile agreed to remove data caps for Affordable Broadband Act plan subscribers and provide download speeds that comply with the law. The company also agreed to expand its ABA offerings to more areas of the state and make it easier for eligible New Yorkers to find and enroll in plans, according to the attorney general’s office.
A T-Mobile spokesperson said the deal brings more clarity to the company’s offering and makes the plan available to more customers.
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