Texas used to be considered an affordable place to raise a family, but that is no longer the case. It’s hard not to feel a pinch every time you pull out your wallet to pay for something, from gas to groceries, electricity to drugstore essentials. I am also proud to have raised my two children and one grandchild here. Like you, I’m trying as hard as I can, but it’s hard to make ends meet. I think almost everyone feels that way right now.
When I signed up for the Affordable Connect program in February 2022, I did so as a last resort. In fact, without ACP, I wouldn’t be able to afford internet service. Internet access is available through ACP for $30 per month. Before signing up for this benefit, I couldn’t afford this service. The cheap plans offered by cable companies were still too expensive and didn’t offer enough service to host Zoom calls.
When I first enrolled in ACP, I was living in Washington and didn’t really talk to my family. I needed to use the data on my phone plan frequently, and the amount quickly added up. Air tickets are very expensive, so I never actually met my grandson until I got internet service through ACP and was able to video chat with my daughter at her Vista in Rio. When we met and talked for the first time, we cried. Now, thanks to this program, I can video chat with my family every day.
Congress should fund the ACP because it gives Americans an opportunity to connect. ACP provides the public with an opportunity to connect with the people who matter most to them, including their doctors and their child’s teachers. This is not a government stipend either. We pay our internet bill every month just like any other bill. Even when everything is so expensive, ACP makes your internet bill feel more affordable.
Even if you don’t use ACP, the benefits are far-reaching. These benefits allow people to apply for jobs online, see doctors via telemedicine, talk to relatives in other states, and save money on gas by driving less. Masu. The money you save can be spent on things that benefit your community instead of spending more than $100 a month on internet bills.
ACP helped expand internet access to rural Texas areas where internet service was poor or previously non-existent. This means more small businesses can access the internet. If you don’t think internet access is important, imagine if you were like me and had to cancel your internet service and live without it. Think about how much inaccessibility really costs.
The ACP is set to expire in April 2024, potentially leaving millions of people like me without access to the internet. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn have a chance to continue the ACP program. If they can’t find a way to keep it going, nearly 1.7 million Texans, including myself, will lose internet access. ACP means everything to some people. That’s priceless. It would be cruel to take that away. I know that Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. John Cornyn (Texas) talk a lot about high prices. Now we need them to put their money where their mouth is and keep ACP running.
Kelly Sullivan lives in Rio Vista, Texas and is a member of WorkMoney.
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