ILSR urges state action on broadband affordability, cites New York model and urges centralized enrollment and small‑provider exemptions

An analyst from the Institute for Local Self‑Reliance (ILSR) urged the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee to consider state action on broadband affordability now that the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has lapsed, saying Vermont could learn from New York’s recently implemented Affordable Broadband Act.

"If it's not affordable, it's not accessible," said Sean Gonsalz, Associate Director for Communications, Community Broadband Networks Initiative, Institute for Local Self‑Reliance, in testimony to the committee. Gonsalz told lawmakers that the ACP — a federal $30 monthly voucher that helped low‑income households pay for internet service — expired almost exactly one year earlier and that no federal reauthorization was imminent. He said state programs can fill the gap and suggested policy design choices lawmakers should consider.

Gonsalz reviewed the key features of New York’s law, which requires large Internet service providers to offer a discounted low‑cost service (the statute set a $15 per month option at 25/3 Mbps when enacted, with an alternative 200 Mbps option for $20) and permits a waiver for providers with fewer than…