New York officials announced an agreement requiring T-Mobile USA Inc. to remove data caps and expand low-cost home internet plans for eligible residents.
The announcement, released Nov. 9, 2026, follows a state investigation into T-Mobile’s compliance with the New York Affordable Broadband Act. The law requires home internet providers to offer eligible households plans with speeds of at least 25 Mbps for $15 a month, or at least 200 Mbps for $20 a month.
The Office of the Attorney General found T-Mobile advertised a 25 Mbps plan for $15 but reduced customers’ download speeds by more than 97% to 650 Kbps after they used 50 gigabytes of data in a month. A typical customer could reach that data limit in about four days, according to the office.
The investigation also found T-Mobile restricted the affordable plans to areas with 5G wireless service, excluding 4G areas that could support 25 Mbps speeds. The company also coded its website to hide the low-cost plans from search engines, making them difficult to find, the attorney general’s office said.
Under the agreement, T-Mobile will end the data caps, provide the affordable options everywhere it currently sells residential internet, and allow search engines to find its plan webpage. The company will deliver 25 Mbps speeds to all subscribers of the affordable plan, unless network congestion requires temporary reductions, the agreement says.
“The Internet is a lifeline in today’s world: it’s essential for work, school, accessing emergency services and staying in touch with loved ones,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. Eligibility for the low-cost plans includes enrollment in programs such as Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or the Home Energy Assistance Program.