William Simpson
The nation’s largest broadband accessibility program is coming to an end due to a lack of funding from Congress.
The Federal Communications Commission is reluctantly marking the end, starting Saturday, of the pandemic-induced effort that helped several million low-income Americans get and stay online.
Initially established in December 2020, what became the Affordable Connectivity Program, or ACP, has enrolled more than 23 million subscribers – or one in every six U.S. households – across rural, suburban and urban America.
This requirement illustrates that “too many working families have been stuck on the wrong side of the digital divide because they struggle to pay for service,” wrote Jessica Rosenworcel, chair of the FCC, on Friday. declaration.
“Additional funding from Congress remains the only short-term solution to keep this vital program running,” the president said in a statement. Letter appealing for help from lawmakers.
Previous federal efforts to close the digital divide have long focused on making high-speed Internet available in all areas without giving much thought to whether people could afford it, Rosenworcel noted. However, more than a million families signed up in the first week after the launch of the ACP precursor in May 2021.
“Each of the more than 23 million ACP subscribers who no longer receive an ACP benefit represents an individual or family who needs just a little help getting the connectivity we all need to participate in modern life,” said Rosenworcel. “And 68% of these households had inconsistent or zero connectivity before the ACP.”
Many ACP beneficiaries are seniors on fixed incomes, and losing the benefit means difficult choices between online access and not having other necessities like food or gas, the FCC chief said. “We also heard from a 47-year-old woman from Alabama who is going back to school to become a psychologist and can now use a laptop instead of her phone to follow online classes.”
The program officially ends on June 1, 2024, with the FCC already imposing an enrollment freeze in February to facilitate the administration of the end of the ACP.
Approximately 3.4 million rural families and more than 300,000 families in tribal areas are affected, as well as more than four million active-duty families for former military personnel, according to the agency.
While not a replacement for ACP, there is another FCC program called Life line which provides a $9.25 monthly broadband service benefit to eligible households, the FCC said.
g esportes
globo logo
g1 da globo
notícias da globo
ge.com globo
uol o melhor do conteúdo
