New York S 3343: Requires broadband providers to offer high speed broadband service to certain low-income consumers

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S03343 Summary:

BILL NOS03343 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS A00190

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SPONSORPARKER

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COSPNSRGONZALEZ, HINCHEY

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MLTSPNSR

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Add §399-zzzzzz, Gen Bus L

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Requires broadband providers to offer high speed broadband service to certain low-income consumers at a cost of not more than five dollars per month.

Go to top S03343 Actions:

BILL NOS03343 

&nbsp

01/27/2025REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

01/07/2026REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Go to topS03343 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS03343 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS03343 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 3343

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 January 27, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sens. PARKER, GONZALEZ, HINCHEY -- read twice and ordered
 printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy
 and Telecommunications

 AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to broadband
 service for low-income consumers

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new
 2 section 399-zzzzzz to read as follows:
 3 § 399-zzzzzz. Broadband service for low-income consumers. 1. For the
 4 purposes of this section, the term "broadband service" shall mean a
 5 mass-market retail service that provides the capability to transmit data
 6 to and receive data from all or substantially all internet endpoints,
 7 including any capabilities that are incidental to and enable the opera-
 8 tion of the communications service provided by a wireline, fixed wire-
 9 less or satellite service provider, but shall not include dial-up
 10 service.
 11 2. Every person, business, corporation, or their agents providing or
 12 seeking to provide broadband service in New York state shall, no later
 13 than sixty days after the effective date of this section, offer high
 14 speed broadband service to low-income consumers whose household: (a) is
 15 eligible for free or reduced-priced lunch through the National School
 16 Lunch Program; or (b) whose annual gross household income is not in
 17 excess of one hundred eighty-five percent of the federal poverty guide-
 18 lines as updated periodically in the Federal Register by the United
 19 States Department of Health and Human Services under the authority of 42
 20 U.S.C. § 9902(2); or (c) is eligible for, or receiving the supplemental
 21 nutrition assistance program benefits; or (d) is eligible for, or
 22 receiving Medicaid benefits; or (e) is eligible for, or enrolled in
 23 senior citizen rent increase exemption; or (f) is eligible for, or
 24 enrolled in disability rent increase exemption; or (g) is a recipient of

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD00011-01-5

 S. 3343 2

 1 an affordability benefit from a utility. Such low-income broadband
 2 service shall provide a minimum download speed equal to the greater of
 3 one hundred megabits per second download speed or the download speed of
 4 the provider's existing low-income broadband service sold to customers
 5 in the state, and a minimum upload speed equal to the greater of ten
 6 megabits per second or the upload speed of the provider's existing low-
 7 income broadband service sold to customers in the state, subject to
 8 exceptions adopted by the public service commission where such speeds
 9 are unreasonable and impracticable.
 10 3. Broadband service for low-income consumers, as set forth in this
 11 section, shall be provided at a cost of no more than five dollars per
 12 month, inclusive of any recurring taxes and fees such as recurring
 13 rental fees for service provider equipment required to obtain broadband
 14 service and usage fees. Broadband service providers shall allow low-in-
 15 come broadband service subscribers to purchase standalone or bundled
 16 cable and/or phone services separately. Broadband service providers may,
 17 once every five years, and after thirty days' notice to its customers
 18 and the department of public service, increase the price of this service
 19 by the lesser of the most recent change in the consumer