Governor Cuomo Makes Low-Cost Broadband Mandatory

Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed a bill that would force companies to make broadband access available to low-income families for $15 a month.

Internet access is more important than ever, as employees work from home and children learn remotely as a result of the pandemic. Unfortunately, standard broadband plans are out-of-reach for many low-income families.

New York has taken a major step toward ensuring everyone has access to broadband, by capping the cost for low-income families, according to The Washington Post. A basic broadband plan will be capped at $15 per month, while upgraded plans would be capped at $20.

Eric Schmidt, former Alphabet CEO, was on-hand with Cuomo at a briefing and was supportive of the new legislation.

“Internet is no longer optional,” Schmidt said. “Think of the generation that we could be creating that are not learning because we didn’t give them Internet access.”