Senate Bill 514 requires the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection to develop and administer the "Net Equality Program," whereby qualified individuals can submit a request to a participating broadband provider to subscribe to affordable broadband Internet access services. An individual qualifies to submit such a request if they are part of a household where at least one member qualifies for either SNAP benefits or any other public assistance program recognized by the provider for the purpose of determining eligibility for the provider's existing low-income broadband Internet access service program. 

Broadband providers are not required to join this program, but if they do, any agency proposing to enter into a contract for the purchase of broadband Internet access service must, all other factors being equal, give preference to the provider that participates in the Net Equality Program. If a provider does participate in the program, the affordable broadband Internet access services must: (1) cost no more than $40 monthly, (2) provide speeds that are at least as fast as 100 megabits per second downstream and 5 megabits per second upstream, with the upstream speed increasing to 20 megabits per second on and after October 1, 2027. These parameters ensure that the broadband is affordable, but also that it is sufficient to support distance learning, telehealth services, and work from home requirements. 

Impact or how it will be measured:

Access to high-quality internet is no longer a luxury—it is a necessity. It enables students to complete homework, schools to teach effectively, employees to work remotely, small businesses to stay competitive, and families to stay connected—essentially supporting nearly every aspect of modern life. Yet access remains unequal: those who can pay more receive faster speeds, while lower-income households are often limited to slow connections—or no service at all. Meanwhile, costs continue to rise without corresponding improvements in quality. This bill addresses these affordability and accessibility challenges by incentivizing broadband providers to offer reasonably priced internet with sufficient upstream and downstream speeds to support distance learning, telehealth, and remote work.