Former Congresswoman Deborah Ruggiero
81,000 Rhode Island households participate in the Affordable Connections program. ACP is the most ambitious home internet subsidy in this country’s history. Starting in 2022, eligible households will receive internet service for $30 a month, but federal subsidies for broadband will end in April 2024, when federal funding runs out. Since last year, the federal government has disbursed $14 billion nationwide to the approximately 23 million households currently enrolled in ACP. This is equivalent to one in six households nationwide.
This means there is a financial cliff for RI citizens, as the subsidy on their monthly internet bills will no longer exist. This can cause serious credit concerns for those who have not read the notice from their internet service provider that the subsidy has ended and market rates may apply.
There is a bipartisan bill in the deeply divided U.S. Congress that would extend the Affordable Connectivity Program through December. It’s questionable whether Congress can even act on the bill, but the extension is only temporary. We need a long-term solution to keep router lights on in this country.
Meanwhile, 81,000 Rhode Island households could lose access, including thousands of seniors and veterans who will eventually become “digitally connected.” The federal government’s $42.5 billion Broadband Equity Access (BEAD) program helps Internet Service Providers (ISPs) build and provide access to rural populations, helping unserved and underserved populations. The aim is to encourage people to close the digital divide. ACP Internet grants are essential to the success of BEAD, and removing the “E” from BEAD is a bad idea.
What happens if Congress fails to act? States should enact consumer protection laws that protect seniors, veterans, and low- and moderate-income families so they can stay connected. What role can internet service providers play as good corporate citizens in providing solutions? Internet service providers will have a grace period starting in April to help people afford lower credit ratings because they can’t pay their internet costs. There is a possibility that the burden of rating may be avoided for those who do not have a rating. Everyone agrees that fast, reliable, and affordable high-speed internet is not a luxury, but a necessity in our 21st century society. We no longer “go online”, we live online.
But if Congress doesn’t extend the federal program, what’s the solution and who will pay for it? If this is a cost that states have to bear, no one in state government has budgeted hundreds of millions of dollars. Is not … As an industry, ISPs could potentially secure funding to pay for billions of dollars of doing business in the state. Whether ACP ends in his April of this year, December, or next year, it will end eventually. What is the long-term solution to keeping all Rhode Islanders connected?
There’s a national campaign to save ACP, with the catchy name “Don’t Disconnect US.” Anyone interested in affordable internet should contact their Congressional delegation and tell them to fund this federal program before it’s too late. So, while you still have internet, visit www.dontdisconnectUS.com.
Deborah Ruggiero served in the RI House of Representatives for 14 years, serving as chair of the House Internet Technology Committee and championing broadband legislation for RI to access BEAD funding. She is president of marketing communications company DR Communications Group.
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