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Congress, as a whole, has failed to do many things this session, such as passing the appropriations bills to fund government agencies and programs to stop lurching from shutdown threat to shutdown threat.
Lawmakers have also failed to devote more funding to a program that is vital and mostly working well. The Affordable Connectivity Program provides financial assistance to help low-income Americans connect to the internet. But, without new appropriations, the program will soon run out of money.
Congress should act soon to ensure this doesn’t happen.
As we know, access to the internet is essential for many everyday tasks such as communicating with health care providers, pursuing education and, increasingly, working. That’s why Congress has allocated billions of dollars, including a recent $272 million investment in Maine, to completing broadband networks around the country. Yet, millions of Americans aren’t connected to the internet because they can’t afford it.
The Affordable Connectivity Program, run by the Federal Communications Commission, is meant to help these Americans. It provides a credit of up to $30 a month to pay for internet services for low-income families. Tribal members are eligible for up to $75 a month. The money goes directly to internet providers, many of which have committed to offering high-speed internet service for no more than $30 a month.
Eligibility is determined by income, which must be at below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, or by qualifying a number of assistance programs, including Medicaid, WIC, SNAP, veterans pensions and Social Security Income.
Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.
Nearly 23 million Americans, including nearly 100,000 Mainers, have gained internet access through the program. However, because Congress has not appropriated the funds needed to continue the program beyond this spring, the FCC announced earlier this month that it was beginning the process of winding down the ACP.
The program will stop accepting new applications and enrollments on Feb. 7.
This is problematic for many reasons. For one, those who are currently receiving the benefit may lose it, thereby potentially losing their connection to the internet and the many services it allows people to access.
Second, less than half of those eligible for the ACP have claimed the benefit. In Maine, for example, less than half the eligible households have enrolled in the program. That means that many Mainers are unnecessarily being left behind in the digital transition.
Third, the FCC and others have devoted funding and other resources to increasing awareness of the ACP and to sign up new participants. That money and effort will basically be wasted if the program shuts down.
“We have successfully connected millions upon millions of households to broadband services. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established a historic and unquestionably successful program to make broadband affordable, and we now appear on the brink of letting that success slip away,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a Jan. 11 press release. “Disconnecting millions of families from their jobs, schools, markets, and information is not the solution. We have come too far with the ACP to turn back.”
Legislation was recently introduced to continue funding for the program. The Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act would provide $7 billion for the ACP.
Congress hasn’t seemed to be able to make the hard decisions recently. But keeping this vital program funded and operational shouldn’t be hard. Lawmakers should help millions of Americans stay connected to the internet.
