Enacts the "cellular mapping act"; requires the public service commission to review cellular services within the state; requires the expansion of cellular services.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9695
IN ASSEMBLY
January 21, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CASHMAN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to directing the
public service commission to review cellular services within the state
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "cellular
2 mapping act".
3 § 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 91-b to
4 read as follows:
5 § 91-b. Cellular services. 1. For the purposes of this section:
6 (a) The term "served for calling" means any location with at least two
7 cellular service providers and/or at least one such provider has a call
8 completion rate of greater than ninety percent.
9 (b) The term "underserved" means any location which has fewer than two
10 cellular service providers, or such providers have a call completion
11 rate greater than thirty percent, but less than ninety percent.
12 (c) The term "unserved" means any location which has no cellular
13 service providers or such providers have a call completion rate of less
14 than thirty percent.
15 (d) The term "excellent cellular coverage" shall mean cellular service
16 of at least 25 megabits per second (mbps) download speeds.
17 (e) The term "adequate cellular coverage" shall mean cellular service
18 of at least 5 mbps but less than 25 mbps download speeds.
19 (f) The term "poor cellular coverage" shall mean cellular service of
20 fewer than 5 mbps download speed.
21 (g) The term "no cellular coverage" shall mean cellular service where
22 greater than fifty percent of speed tests fail to complete.
23 (h) The term "location" shall mean a geographic area smaller than a
24 census tract.
25 (i) The term "cellular service provider" shall mean any person, busi-
26 ness or organization qualified to do business in this state that
27 provides individuals, corporations, or other entities with the ability
28 to make wireless telephone calls and connect to the internet.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01755-03-6
A. 9695 2
1 2. The commission shall study the availability, affordability and
2 reliability of cellular services in New York state. The commission
3 shall:
4 (a) review and appropriately consider the results of the federal
5 communications commission broadband data task force's newly updated
6 national broadband map, and any future data, on the availability of
7 wireless broadband service in New York state;
8 (b) assess the efficacy and make recommendations regarding levels of
9 competition among providers, as well as any regulatory and statutory
10 barriers, in order to deliver comprehensive statewide access to excel-
11 lent cellular coverage;
12 (c) review available technology to identify solutions that best
13 support cellular service in underserved or unserved areas, and make
14 recommendations on ensuring deployment of such technology in underserved
15 and unserved areas;
16 (d) identify locations where insufficient access to excellent cellular
17 coverage is causing negative social or economic impact on the community,
18 which shall include but not be limited to: the incurment of extraneous
19 business expenses, the lack of remote educational opportunities, resi-
20 dents being unable to place calls and/or send text messages in emergency
21 situations and barriers to the proper provision of police, fire and
22 emergency medical services;
23 (e) examine any other telecommunications deficiencies affecting excel-
24 lent cellular service it deems necessary to further the economic and
25 social goals of the state;
26 (f) produce, maintain and publish on its website, a detailed cellular
27 service access map of the state, indicating access to cellular service
28 by location. Such map shall include, but not be limited to, the follow-
29 ing information for each location:
30 (i) call completion rates and download speeds advertised and experi-
31 enced;
32 (ii) the consistency and reliability of call completion rates and
33 download speeds including latency;
34 (iii) the number of cellular service providers available, the price of
35 cellular service available; and
36 (iv) any other factors the commission may deem relevant; and
37 (g) provide the opportunity for consumers to challenge the results of
38 the call completion rates and speed tests at each location.
39 3. The commission shall submit a report of its findings and recommen-
40 dations from the study required in subdivision two of this section, to
41 the governor, the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of
42 the assembly no later than one year after the effective date of this
43 section, and an updated report annually thereafter. Such report shall
44 include, but not be limited to, the following:
45 (a) the overall number of residences with access to excellent cellular
46 coverage, adequate cellular coverage, poor cellular coverage and no
47 cellular coverage and identifying which areas are served, unserved and
48 underserved for calling;
49 (b) a regional survey of cellular service prices in comparison to
50 county-level median income;
51 (c) an analysis of the affordability of excellent cellular coverage in
52 New York state;
53 (d) any relevant usage statistics;
54 (e) any other metrics or analyses the commission deems necessary in
55 order to assess the availability, affordability and reliability of
56 cellular service in New York state; and
A. 9695 3
1 (f) the map maintained pursuant to paragraph (f) of subdivision two of
2 this section.
3 4. The commission shall hold at least four regional public hearings
4 within one year of the effective date of this section, to solicit input
5 from the public and other stakeholders including but not limited to
6 cellular service providers, telecommunications concerns, labor organiza-
7 tions, public safety organizations, healthcare, education, agricultural
8 and other businesses or organizations.
9 5. The commission shall examine the labor demand of the wireless
10 construction workforce needed to achieve excellent cellular coverage
11 statewide.
12 6. The commission shall work with cellular service providers in the
13 state to prioritize access to excellent cellular coverage services for
14 the communities determined to have experienced negative economic and
15 social impacts due to absent, insufficient, or inadequate cellular
16 service pursuant to subdivision one of this section.
17 7. To effectuate the purposes of this section, the commission may
18 request and shall receive from any department, division, board, bureau,
19 commission or other agency of the state or any state public authority
20 such assistance, information and data as will enable the commission to
21 carry out its powers and duties under this section.
22 8. To ensure the compliance of cellular service providers with the
23 recommendations of the commission, the division of consumer protection
24 shall assist the commission.
25 § 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
26 have become a law.
