D.C. Memo: Benton Researcher Says ‘No Meaningful Opportunity’ to Know if N.Y.’s Affordable Broadband Law Is Working
Benton's Caroline Stratton found 1,253 New York households enrolled in ABA plans in 2025 based on a partial data set. About 1.2 million N.Y. households were eligible under the law
Headlines
■ As Circle City Begins Layoffs at Newly Acquired ABC Station in Indianapolis, FCC Democrat Gomez Posts Gloating, Told-You-So Reaction
■ Sinclair Executives Urge FCC to Dig Deeper into TV Sports Issues
■ NTCA CEO Romano Says Some Telecom Act Reforms “Don’t Pencil Out’
■ Amazon Opens Two Operations Facilities in West Virginia
■ U.S. Chamber Leader Urges Congress to Pass Permitting Reform
■ Analyst: 25% of NFL Broadcast Revenue Comes from Amazon, YouTube TV and Netflix
■ Amazon in Talks to Acquire Globalstar, FT Reports
■ Judge Provides Call-In Number to Hear Nexstar Arguments on April 7
■ Grain Says It Closed on Sale of Hunter to Oak Hill Capital
NY ABA: Benton Institute researcher Caroline Stratton said New York can’t yet measure the reach of the five-year-old Affordable Broadband Act. Stratton, who holds a Ph.D. in information studies from the University of Texas, analyzed Internet service provider compliance reports filed with the New York Public Service Commission and found that enrollment data was too incomplete to determine how many households were using low-cost ABA Internet access plans for eligible low-income households. “How many households subscribe to New York state ABA plans? We cannot say,” Stratton said in an April 1 report. There’s a good reasons for this result: Stratton got her hands on a partial data set. Major New York ISPs such as Charter, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Optimum filed their ABA enrollment data confidentially. Comcast – which as about 33,133 New York locations, according to Stratton – reported just 326 ABA enrollees.
