County leaders last week asked Congress to extend subsidies that help low-income households access broadband.
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides broadband subsidies of $30 to $75 per month and funds internet access in more than 22 million homes across the country, is set to expire in April. . County leaders traveled to Washington, D.C., last week to lobby lawmakers to extend the program, which has been closed to new students.
“Residents need continuous, reliable and affordable access to high-speed internet,” said James Gore, county supervisor of Sonoma County, California, and vice president of the National Association of Counties (NACo). Press conference held in front of the U.S. Capitol on the 13th.
“Sustained and continued funding for this program is absolutely necessary for the present and future of our communities, especially those most in need,” he added.
Speakers at the press conference urged Congress to approve the ACP Extension Act, which would provide $7 billion in continued funding for the program.
“This is very important because most of the people who receive ACP benefits are struggling with income. They may be seniors, they may be elderly.” Half of those benefiting are military families. We’re talking about families, small businesses, farmers, seniors, and urban centers, suburban communities, and rural communities across this country,” said Congressman Mark Molinaro (RN.Y.). Told.
Internet connectivity issues remain a central concern among local, county, state, and tribal governments. The Infrastructure Act signed two years ago made approximately $42.45 billion available for broadband infrastructure expansion under a program known as the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Efforts to expand broadband infrastructure are especially urgent in rural areas.
Rural distance in California’s Inyo County is “measured in hours, not miles,” said County Supervisor Jeff Griffith.
“Accessing services that are so common and easily accessible in urban areas is often difficult, expensive and out of reach for ordinary working families,” Mr Griffiths said. “Just like our tribal communities, remote and disadvantaged communities are often left behind.”
County officials emphasized that internet connectivity is a critical public amenity that all residents should have access to, calling attention to the modern reality that jobs, schools, government services, and health care all depend on connectivity. Ta.
“Funding affordable connectivity programs is a moral imperative. This is similar to the electrification of the country in the 1930s and the establishment of the interstate highway system in the 1950s,” Molinaro said.
