Enacts the lifeline expansion act to require all telephone and wireless providers in the state to offer lifeline service to households at or below two hundred percent of the federal poverty level.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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10547
IN SENATE
May 20, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommuni-
cations
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to enacting the
lifeline expansion act of 2026
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "lifeline expansion act of 2026".
3 § 2. Section 92-h of the public service law, as added by chapter 434
4 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
5 § 92-h. Participation in the targeted accessibility fund. 1. As used
6 in this section, the term "fund" shall mean the targeted accessibility
7 fund established by the commission for the purpose, among other things,
8 of providing financial support for the provision of lifeline service in
9 the state.
10 2. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, [any provider
11 or reseller] all providers and resellers of commercial mobile radio
12 service, as defined in 47 C.F.R. § 20.3, in the state that [is] are
13 designated as an eligible telecommunications carrier pursuant to 47
14 U.S.C. § 214(e) to offer lifeline service in the state [may, but shall
15 not be required to,] and every telephone corporation shall participate
16 in the fund for the purpose of offering lifeline service to households
17 at or below two hundred percent of the federal poverty level. [If such a
18 provider elects to participate in the fund, the] Every provider, resell-
19 er and telephone corporation shall assume all rights and obligations
20 associated with such participation under the commission's orders, on the
21 same basis as other participants. [Any such provider that has elected to
22 participate in the fund may withdraw from such participation at any
23 time.]
24 3. Except to the extent necessary to supervise or administer the fund,
25 nothing in this section shall confer upon the commission any regulatory
26 jurisdiction over providers or resellers of commercial mobile radio
27 service that [elect to] participate in the fund.
28 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
29 it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14837-02-6
