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The end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) could see 23 million people lose access to connectivity
On Day 2 of Connected America, a surprise guest took to the stage to issue a rallying cry for affordable connectivity across the USA.
Austin Bonner, Deputy U.S. CTO from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, warned that 23 million people stood to lose affordable connectivity if the ACP’s funding is not renewed and urged a divided Congress to make additional funding a priority.
“Broadband access is a bipartisan issue,” said Bonner. “The pandemic showed that broadband access is a necessity and we need to ensure that every American can be part of the digital world.”
“President Biden has requested $6 billion from Congress to extend the ACP for the rest of the year,” she added, noting that the President “is committed to leaving no communities behind”.
The ACP is a benefit programme that offers eligible households discounts of between $30 to $75 per month for internet services, as well as providing one-time discounts on the purchase of laptops, tablets, and desktop computers.
Despite only around half of eligible households taking advantage of the programme, funding is running out. Currently, the ACP’s last fully funded month is set to be April, with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issuing advice to affected households about finding alternative means of connectivity.
Exactly where this newfound connectivity might come from, however, it unclear. New survey data from FCC showed that nearly half of ACP households had no broadband service or relied wholly on mobile connectivity prior to receiving ACP support.
With many of these households saying that they rely upon ACP-funded connectivity to access vital services like healthcare and education, the negative impact of the programme’s cessation for some of the nation’s most vulnerable people could be severe.
In closing, Bonner thanked the Connected America crowd for their ongoing work to bring broadband access to all Americans and urged them to keep pushing forward.
“We have a lot of work to do together,” she said. “Let’s get this done.”
Keep up with all the action from Connected America online using the hashtag #ConnectedAmerica
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