T-Mobile must improve its affordable internet plan in New York under an agreement announced on November 9, 2026. Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James said it will end data-based speed cuts and widen access.
The signed deal gives T-Mobile time to make the changes. It does not promise better service everywhere right away. It also leaves room for temporary slowdowns when the network is busy.
What changes for T-Mobile customers
The attorney general’s findings in the agreement say T-Mobile cut download speeds after customers used 50 gigabytes in a month. The document puts the reduced speed at 600 kilobits per second, down from 25 megabits per second (Mbps).
The governor’s announcement instead gives the reduced speed as 650 kilobits per second. This article uses the signed agreement’s figure. In that agreement, T-Mobile neither admits nor denies the investigation’s findings.
Under the agreement, T-Mobile has 120 days from November 9 to stop intentional cuts below the plan’s minimum download speed. But the deal allows temporary speed cuts caused solely by a busy network. By then, T-Mobile must also offer the affordable internet plan wherever it sells fixed wireless home internet.
Fixed wireless sends home internet over a cellular network to a receiver in the home, the agreement explains. However, the deal does not require T-Mobile to bring service to new places. It also allows lower speeds where network limits would prevent even a full-price customer at that address from receiving 25 Mbps.
Affordable internet prices and eligibility
New York’s ConnectALL office sets out two ways providers can meet the Affordable Broadband Act’s pricing rules. The table shows the price ceilings and download speeds. Mbps means megabits per second, the speed unit used in the agreement.
| Plan option | Monthly price ceiling | Minimum download speed |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $15 | 25 Mbps |
| Higher-speed alternative | $20 | 200 Mbps |
Source: ConnectALL consumer guidance
Data as of: 2026-11-10
Providers can comply with either option; they do not have to offer both.
ConnectALL says providers need not offer both options, and some smaller providers may be exempt. The law includes recurring taxes and required equipment rental fees in the price. Nor do customers have to buy a phone or television bundle.
Under the law, households qualify through these benefits or eligibility routes:
- Eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch through the National School Lunch Program.
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits or Medicaid: receiving them or being eligible.
- Eligibility for, or enrollment in, the senior citizen or disability rent increase exemption.
- Receipt of an affordability benefit from a utility.
Even without these benefits, ACCESS NYC says households may qualify based on income. It directs them to ask their internet provider about income limits. It also says each provider sets its own rules on which documents to provide.
How to find a plan and apply
ConnectALL directs residents to the state’s address-based broadband map to find providers serving their home. Then, ACCESS NYC says, look for affordable internet plans on provider websites. Apply and check eligibility directly with the provider.
For enrollment help, ConnectALL says to call 211; New York City residents can call 311. Its guidance excludes mobile phone and dial-up service from these reduced-cost plans.
The signed deal also gives T-Mobile 60 days from November 9 to let search engines find its plan page. It must link to that page prominently from its home internet deals page. Within 300 days, it must report compliance with the service changes, enrollment totals and average download speeds to the attorney general.
Sources: New York attorney general agreement, New York Senate law, New York governor, ConnectALL, ACCESS NYC
