According to planetdish.com, Governor Cuomo signs the Affordable Broadband Act into law at the Northland Workforce Training Centre in Buffalo, NY. The Affordable Broadband Act compels internet service providers to offer low-cost high-speed internet to low-income homes that qualify for it for only $15 per month. This programme is the first of its type in the country to make such a concerted effort to bridge the digital gap anyplace in the United States. According to lawmakers, this new programme will benefit nearly 2.7 million homes across the state.

The Specifics of the Affordable Broadband Act

According to internetnearme.com, the new New York State law from the Affordable Broadband Bill compels all internet providers serving New York State citizens to provide eligible low income homes with high speed internet for $15 per month. Under the rule, internet service providers must provide high-speed internet access as well as any necessary equipment to use their service, such as a modem and router, for less than $15 per month.

Who Is Eligible for Low-Cost Internet?

To take advantage of this low-cost pricing, interested New Yorkers must first qualify for the Affordable Broadband programme. Households may have to requalify for the Affordable Broadband programme each year, just like any other benefits they may be getting. Here are the several ways that homes might qualify for this low-cost internet programme:

• A utility improves affordability.
• School lunches are either free or reduced in price.
• Medicaid
• Rent increase exemptions for seniors and people with disabilities
• SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme)

How to Apply for High-Speed Internet for $15 Per Month

Governor Cuomo did not indicate when or how consumers may apply for the low-cost internet service option provided by the Affordable Broadband Act during the occasion. More information about how to apply will be available soon.

The Affordable Broadband Portal Has Been Launched

Governor Cuomo also announced the establishment of the inexpensive Broadband Portal to aid New Yorkers in locating inexpensive broadband programmes in their region that may serve their address. Other vital information contained inside the portal includes the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit Internet for $15 per month, which many New Yorkers may be unaware of. Qualifying homes would be eligible for a $50 monthly subsidy for high-speed broadband internet access, as well as a one-time discount of up to $100 on a desktop, laptop, or tablet computer.

Internet Service Providers Participating

All internet service providers in New York must provide high-speed internet access to qualified low-income families for $15 per month. Here are several internet service providers in New York State:

• Charter Spectrum (formerly known as Time Warner Cable)
• Fairpoint Communications (previously Consolidated Communications)
• EarthLink
• Frontier Communications, Inc.
• Networks in the Greenlight
• HughesNet
• Optimum
• RCNInternet of Stars
• FiOS by Verizon
• Viasat (formerly Excede and WildBlue)
• Windstream

Why Is the Affordable Broadband Act Necessary?

The COVID-19 outbreak has demonstrated to many New Yorkers and Americans around the country the critical need of high-speed broadband internet connection. Governor Cuomo reinforced something we all already know during his speech at the Northland Workforce Training Centre in Buffalo, NY: the COVID-19 epidemic has redefined what normal is, and every family needs access to inexpensive internet at home.

Every day, families bring their children to public libraries and coffee shops to finish their schoolwork. Some individuals are waiting in their cars outside eateries with free public Wi-Fi, applying for unemployment benefits and looking for work.Due to social alienation, reduced capacity percentage regulations, earlier closing times, and company closures caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, families can’t even accomplish this much. Having internet connectivity on a smartphone is neither dependable or usable for the entire family. Adults and children in families without internet connection are at a significant disadvantage compared to those who do.

Plus, remote working, remote learning, and telemedicine are not going away even post COVID-19 pandemic. To work, learn and have access to modern medicine, New Yorkers need broadband access just like any other utility. Families shouldn’t have to forgo reliable home internet service or sacrifice putting food on the table or education due to their economic situation. Allowing families to forego basic high speed internet access ultimately will not help them ever improve their economic situation.

If you’re still not sure that the Affordable Broadband Internet for $15 per month is necessary, consider the following. By guaranteeing that all New Yorkers have inexpensive high-speed broadband internet connection, they will be able to accomplish the following from the comfort of their own homes:

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