S 4938: Requires free internet service in households with students who live at or below the poverty level; directs broadband companies to install and/or upgrade broadband services in educational facilities.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4938 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE February 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommuni- cations AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring free internet service in households with students who live at or below the poverty level The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The article heading of article 11 of the public service 2 law, as added by chapter 83 of the laws of 1995, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 PROVISIONS RELATING TO CABLE TELEVISION COMPANIES 5 AND INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS 6 § 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 224-d 7 to read as follows: 8 § 224-d. Internet service to students. 1. For the purposes of this 9 section the term "broadband service" shall mean a mass-market retail 10 service that provides the capability to transmit data to and receive 11 data from all or substantially all internet endpoints, including any 12 capabilities that are incidental to and enable the operation of the 13 communications service, but shall not include dial-up service. 14 2. Any company that provides broadband service shall provide free 15 internet service to any household in which an elementary or secondary 16 student resides where the income of such household is at or below the 17 poverty level as established by local indicators. 18 3. All companies which provide broadband services in this state shall, 19 for free with no cost or charge, identify and install, refurbish, and 20 strengthen broadband system/network connections in all educational 21 buildings including, but not limited to, schools, libraries, daycare 22 centers, and community centers. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD05979-01-5 
 S. 4938 2 1 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 2 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 3 ment, and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the imple- 4 mentation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made 5 and completed on or before such effective date.