To increase access, this subsidy program offers up to $30 per month off Internet service for eligible households.
CALIFORNIA, USA — A deadline is fast approaching for a program that helps families in need buy internet service and devices that will help them stay connected.
The government program has already helped more than 22 million households, but it has its benefits and its criticisms.
“It’s hard to believe that a country like the United States has these challenges in this day and age,” said San Jay Varshney, a professor of finance at Sacramento State. “And yet there are people who live well below the poverty line and people who live in rural areas with no connections at all.”
This is said to be the most ambitious home internet subsidy in U.S. history. The FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) launched in 2021 to help families afford the broadband they need for work, school, health care, and more.
“Going to class, taking classes online, doing homework, watching TV, streaming something online – all of these things are things that families who can afford take for granted. Varshney said.
To increase access, this subsidy program offers up to $30 per month off Internet service for eligible households.
You can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 on a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet.
For many people, being online is very important.
“Believe it or not, there is still a large unbanked population in the United States because there are no banks or branches where they live,” Varshney said.
The program was started with the goal of closing the digital divide, but reports say the program is nearing its end this year unless Congress decides to continue funding it.
An investigation is also underway into Charter Communications, one of the largest recipients of government funding to implement the program.
“I think it would be beneficial to look deeper into why the U.S. can’t connect, why there are still millions of households that can’t afford to connect, and why it costs so much to connect. ” How to get it? ‘ said Varshney.
ABC10 reached out to the FCC about ACP, but did not immediately receive a response. The application deadline is February 7th.
California’s Atmospheric River: Winter Storm and Flood Watch – January 30, 2024
