WASHINGTON (TND) — Advocates say millions of people could be left without internet if Congress doesn’t pass funding for affordable connectivity programs.
This program helps low-income, elderly, and rural households save $30 to $75 on their monthly internet bills. According to the White House, 23 million households are enrolled.
“Our goal is to connect every American to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet by 2030,” President Joe Biden said last month.
In the 21st century, affordable, reliable, high-speed internet is essential for accessing education, healthcare, jobs, engaging in precision agriculture, and staying in touch with loved ones. Yet too many people are left without high-speed internet due to lack of infrastructure or high costs. These inequalities are particularly prevalent in underserved and rural communities, where the lack of affordable, reliable, high-speed internet contributes to economic, health, and other significant disparities. , veterans, and older Americans. “Thanks to the Affordable Connectivity Program, the administration has made historic progress toward closing the digital divide for communities that have been left behind for far too long,” the Biden administration said in a statement.
The program has bipartisan support, but some Republicans are concerned that people who don’t need the money are getting it. At the same time as the national debt exceeds $34 trillion, there are also concerns that the government is overspending.
“They may have perfectly good intentions,” said E. J. Antoni, a financial economist at the Heritage Foundation. It’s not,” he explained. “The fact remains that the more government spends, the more people have to pay for it in some way.”
Tish Kimble is unhappy about the possibility of the program ending because she claims she needs it.
“Just the fact that my internet bill will probably go from $0 to about $80 would be sad for me,” she explained on TikTok. “Government, please don’t do this to me.
The Biden administration has asked Congress for $6 billion for the program, which otherwise would end in April.
