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Q&A
Issues with service providers and billing after ACP sunset
0:36:40
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Council Member Julie Won raises concerns about billing issues for NYCHA residents, particularly after the sunset of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). CTO Matthew C. Fraser commits to addressing these issues with service providers.
- Some residents experienced unexpected charges after ACP ended
- Confusion about auto-enrollment in Big Apple Connect for former ACP recipients
- Discussion of eligibility criteria for Big Apple Connect in NYCHA units
Julie Won
0:36:40
Okay.
0:36:40
There seems to be an issue also that I want to raise to you that especially with spectrum.
0:36:46
So I'm hearing from Ravenswood houses, Queensbridge houses and Woodside houses if they were initially signed up for ACP there was no notification or communication to them letting them know that ACP has been sunset.
0:36:57
So instead of just having them go back to their regular rate, they were now being charged almost double and they had to they were just slapped with a bill and there was no nothing for them.
0:37:08
But from what I understood, Big Apple Connect was supposed to be an auto enrollment if you were a Spectrum customer but it seems like that it wasn't an auto enrollment for them if they were already an ACP subsidy receiver recipient.
0:37:21
So I think we need to make sure that we go back to Optimum, Spectrum, Verizon, whoever the franchisees are that have these contracts to make it clear to them if they are currently enrolled as an as a recipient or as a customer that you have to make sure especially if they were ACP recipients that they're no longer being charged because we're hearing from constituents that they were just one day they were paying like less than $15 because of ACP and then all of a sudden now they're paying upwards 60 to a hundred 25.
Matthew C. Fraser
0:37:51
Yeah.
0:37:52
So I will I will take that feedback back and I'll meet with and we'll call in those service providers and we'll get to the bottom of it.
0:38:00
Honestly it's the first that I'm hearing that that that's an issue.
0:38:03
Mhmm.
0:38:05
And needless to say from the day that Big Apple Connect became available and as it was a service offered from the city and those folks were eligible, they should not be penalized for not knowing how to navigate the bureaucracy of updating their rate plan.
0:38:22
Let us know.
Julie Won
0:38:23
So I think we just need to communicate that to the franchisees and make sure that we don't have any NYCHA residents that are being charged.
0:38:29
Because I think there's also been an issue if for example if I'm living with my grandmother in a NYCHA unit and my name is not officially on the lease then if I were the holder of the optimum or cable bill then they say oh well we don't have proof that you live there or you're not the leaseholder therefore you're not going to qualify for Big Apple Connect or ACP.
0:38:50
So I think we need to have a clear conversation.
0:38:53
I don't know what the contractual agreement was but if the address is an ITRO apartment that they should qualify not exactly the leaseholder matching up with the person who's paying for the existing service.
Matthew C. Fraser
0:39:04
Yeah.
0:39:05
I appreciate the feedback and what we will do is we'll circle back with the franchisees to make sure that that is the case.
0:39:11
If the service address is a public housing unit Mhmm.
0:39:16
They're eligible for Big Apple Connect.
0:39:17
So I don't understand what the confusion on the franchisees side may be but let me take the feedback back and let's see what we can do about it.
Julie Won
0:39:26
Okay.