House Republicans are risking internet access for tens of millions of Americans by refusing to fund the Affordable Connectivity Program.
According to a fact sheet provided by the White House:
High-speed internet is necessary for Americans to participate in school, do their jobs, access health care, and stay connected. But too many Americans can't afford the cost of a monthly connection if they have access to a connection at all. To change that, President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law launched the Affordable Connectivity Program, the largest internet affordability program in our nation's history.
Today, the Affordable Connectivity Program is helping over 23 million households across the country save $30-$75 each per month on their monthly internet bills.
Republicans push the false claim that the programs like the ACP benefit liberals or people in cities when it is red states and rural America who benefit the most. For example, in Alaska, 1 in 11 internet customers in the state save money on internet access via the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). In Texas, 1.7 million households save money on high-speed internet.
In Alabama, 413,000 households save money on high-speed internet. In Mississippi, 244,000 households save money on high-speed internet through the ACP.
The Republican refusal to act is going to harm veterans, students, seniors, and Black and Latino communities. In a call with reporters, the Biden administration emphasized the damage that would be done to vulnerable people if they lost access to the ability to save money on high-speed internet.
From the ability of children to do schoolwork online to the potential for working online, high-speed internet is vital, and the ACP program, along with the broadband expansion in the bipartisan infrastructure law, is another way that President has tried to level the playing field and create opportunity.
Republicans in Congress want to kill the program and show that they have no interest in using their power to help the American people.
