Mergers Forge $20 Social‑Tariff Broadband

To win approval of its $9.6B Frontier buy, Verizon agreed to offer low‑income Californians $20/month fiber at 300/300 Mbps (and $20 fixed wireless at 100/20 Mbps) for at least 10 years and to add 75,000 extra fiber connections and 250 new 5G sites. Because the plans are Lifeline‑eligible, many households will effectively pay $0. The deal also requires 'commercially reasonable' speed increases after three years while holding the $20 price. — States can use merger conditions to hard‑wire affordability and speed floors into broadband markets, creating de facto social tariffs as federal programs like ACP ebb.