Massachusetts Low-Income Broadband Bill Gets Pushback

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2025 – A New England ISP trade group is pushing back against a Massachusetts bill that seeks to cap broadband rates for low-income households. 

The Massachusetts bill mandates that all state-based ISPs create and promote an affordable broadband plan or risk a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation. The requirement would apply to wireline, fixed wireless, and satellite providers, both private and public. If passed, the bill would require ISPs to offer a 100 Mbps download speed plan for $15 a month “inclusive of any recurring taxes and fees.”

“NECTA is concerned on any state effort to establish rate regulation over broadband products and service,” said Anna Lucey, spokeswoman for the New England Connectivity and Telecommunications Association, a group which includes Comcast and Charter.

She said NECTA members already offer low-income broadband programs that include significantly reduced rates for qualifying households in the state.

“The rate regulation proposed in this bill is not only unnecessary but would be counterproductive—introducing significant inefficiencies, imposing substantial additional compliance costs and uncertainty for ISPs, and ultimately distracting from the shared goal of connecting as many Massachusetts residents as possible to robust and affordable broadband services,” she added. 

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Pavel Payano (D) and Rep. Rita Mendes (D), could also run into trouble with the Federal Communications Commission if Chairman Brendan Carr intends to restrict states that interfere with the agency’s light-touch approach to broadband regulation.

The bill was offered as a response to the end of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) in May 2024, which served 368,000 families in the state.