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T-Mobile slowed Internet to a crawl for NY low-income users, AG says
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Nov 9, 2026 at 4:44 p.m. ET
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By
Catalina Gonella
Published Nov 9, 2026 at 4:44 p.m. ET
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T-Mobile has agreed to improve the home internet service it provides to low-income New Yorkers after the New York Attorney General’s office found it drastically capped speeds for participants in a state-mandated affordable service program, and made the plans difficult to find.
The Affordable Broadband Act mandates home internet providers offer high-speed broadband plans at reduced costs to qualifying households. The service can cost no more than $15 per month for download speeds of 25 Mbps, or $20 per month for speeds of at least 200 Mbps. It’s open to households that receive government benefits including Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and Home Energy Assistance Program benefits.
Just 15 households statewide were enrolled in T-Mobile’s Affordable Broadband Act plans, a spokesperson for Attorney General Letitia James said. Her office said the company coded its website so that information about the plans wouldn't appear in search engine results, despite the law's requirement that internet service providers make an effort to promote their affordable broadband plans.
James said customers in the program saw their speeds reduced more than 97%, to just 650 kilobits per second, after using 50 gigabytes of data in a month — a limit her office estimated a typical user would hit after four days of service.
“Reliable and affordable internet service is a basic need for all New Yorkers, but T-Mobile flouted the law designed to help vulnerable New Yorkers access it,” James said. “My office is committed to seeing the Affordable Broadband Act realize its goal of ensuring that New Yorkers in need are not denied access to affordable home internet. I encourage all eligible New Yorkers to enroll in a low-cost home internet plan through the ABA.”
James’ office said T-Mobile has agreed to remove the data caps for Affordable Broadband Act plan subscribers, and deliver the download speeds in compliance with the law. The company also agreed to expand its ABA offerings to more areas in the state, and make it easier for eligible New Yorkers to find and sign up for the plans, according to the attorney general’s office.
A spokesperson for T-Mobile said the agreement provides more clarity around the company’s offering and makes the plan available to more customers.
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