T-Mobile has agreed with the New York Attorney General's Office to remove the data cap on its low-income home internet plan in New York State and to provide the speeds required by law. The Attorney General's Office said speeds on the plan dropped by more than 97% once usage passed 50 gigabytes a month, and that enrollment information was hard to find. Only 15 households statewide had signed up.
T-Mobile has agreed to remove the data cap on its home internet plan for low-income New Yorkers and to provide the download speeds required by law. The agreement follows findings from the New York Attorney General's Office that the plan's speeds were sharply restricted and that enrollment information was hard to find. Gothamist reported the news on the afternoon of Monday, the 9th.
The Affordable Broadband Act (ABA) requires home internet providers to offer low-cost, high-speed internet plans to eligible households. Download speeds of 25 megabits per second (Mbps) may cost no more than $15 a month, and speeds of 200 Mbps or higher no more than $20 a month. The law covers households that receive government benefits such as Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP).
A spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James said only 15 households statewide had signed up for T-Mobile's ABA plan. The Attorney General's Office noted that the company had set up its website so that information about the plan did not appear in search results. James explained that when a subscriber used 50 gigabytes (GB) of data in a month, speeds dropped by more than 97%, to just 650 kilobits per second (kbps). The office estimated that a typical user would reach that limit within four days of use.
According to the Attorney General's Office, T-Mobile agreed to remove the data cap for ABA plan subscribers and to deliver the download speeds set by law. It also agreed to expand its service area in New York State and to make it easier for eligible residents to find and sign up for the plan. A T-Mobile spokesperson said the agreement will make the plan's description clearer and allow more customers to use it.
Households in New York that receive Medicaid, SNAP or HEAP benefits may qualify for a plan under this law. Those already using T-Mobile's plan may want to check whether the data cap has been lifted and whether speeds meet the level required by law. However, the original report does not say when the agreement will take effect or how new customers can sign up.