New Yorkers will have one less choice in Internet providers due to a new rule. AT&T is protesting a new law designed to help low-income families by ceasing 5G home internet service in the State of New York. As of January 15, 2025, the company is pulling out of New York and will no longer offer 5G home internet service to residents, according to Android Authority.

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Photo by Surface on Unsplash
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AT&T was founded 139 years ago on March 3, 1885, as Bell Telephone Company. The founders, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Watson, and Gardiner Greene Hubbard, started the company after Bell patented the telephone in 1875. AT&T stands for the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. Its headquarters is in Dallas, Texas, according to Wikipedia.

AT&T Leaves New York Home Internet Customers In The Dark

The NYS Affordable Broadband Act requires internet service providers in the state to offer broadband service to low-income residents at discounted prices. The U.S. Supreme Court confirmed that New York and other states have the authority to regulate internet service providers. On December 16, 2024, the Court refused to review a lower court's decision in the case of New York State Telecommunications Association, Inc., et al. v. Attorney General Letitia James, which allowed New York’s Affordable Broadband Act to stand, according to CNET.

Photo by Mikayla Mallek on Unsplash
Photo by Mikayla Mallek on Unsplash
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It would seem to me that a company would be willing to offer discounted broadband to those who are struggling financially in order to have access to the 19.87 million people in the state, but AT&T has decided otherwise. While other companies have embraced the law and are now offering discounted services to low-income New Yorkers, AT&T has decided it doesn't want to offer its services at a discounted rate to those who are struggling to make ends meet. The company issued a statement saying that it was no longer willing to serve New York customers due to the law,

"While we are committed to providing reliable and affordable Internet service to customers across the country, New York's broadband law imposes harmful rate regulations that make it uneconomical for AT&T to invest in and expand our broadband infrastructure in the state. As a result, effective January 15, 2025, we will no longer be able to offer AT&T Internet Air, our fixed-wireless Internet service, to New York customers."

Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash
Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash
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READ MORE: New Yorkers Will Have Their SNAP Benefits Cut

AT&T's exit from the home Internet marketplace in New York opens it up for service providers who are willing to play by the rules. Low-income households can get internet service in their homes for low-income residents for $15 per month, including taxes and fees. New Yorkers can participate in the program if they meet the following:

- Receive free or reduced-priced lunch through the National School Lunch Program
- Get SNAP benefits
-Receive Medicaid
- Have a senior citizen rent increase exemption
- Have a disability rent increase exemption
- Receive an affordability benefit from a utility company

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