US Tech Future

Verizon said it will offer a discount to its “Verizon Forward” subscribers that will effectively make their Internet services free during a six-month promotional period. The company’s offer arrives as the US government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) appears headed for the cemetery. Although debate continues in Congress on whether to continue funding the program, it is scheduled to run out of cash next month. As that deadline looms, odds are falling that legislators will step in to save the program. “Funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, which has helped nearly 23 million households across the nation connect to the internet, is expected to end soon. However, Verizon’s commitment to keeping families connected will continue,” Verizon wrote in a release.

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Phyllis Jackson, a retired administrative assistant in Monroeville, Pa., signed up for home internet service for the first time in about two decades early last year. She now regularly uses the internet to pay her bills online, buy clothes, find new recipes and learn about her medication. Ms. Jackson said she signed up for internet service after enrolling in a federal program that provided a monthly discount for low-income households. That program is set to run out of funding this spring, however, which will make it harder for Ms. Jackson and millions of other households to afford to stay connected to the internet.

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Every week, Cynthia George connects with her granddaughter and great-grandson on video calls. The 71-year-old retiree reads the news on her MSN homepage and googles how to fight the bugs coming from her drain in Florida’s summer heat. She hunts for grocery deals on her Publix app so that her food stamps stretch just a little further. But the great-grandmother worries her critical lifeline to the outside world could soon be severed. In fact, she fears she might soon have to make a difficult choice: Buy enough food to feed herself — or pay her home internet bill.

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“Reliable internet is a basic need for families today. In each of our careers, we have advocated for the critical need for equitable access to connectivity for all Kansas Citians, and we know that for thousands that access is made possible through government support programs. One of the most important of these is the Affordable Connectivity Program or ACP, which helps bridge the digital divide significantly. Launched during the pandemic, the ACP has provided in home internet access to more than 23 million households in the United States — including more than 400,000 in Missouri and 150,000 in Kansas — when people needed that connection most.”

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“A pandemic-based program that helps veterans stay connected to family and friends as well as vital services is coming to an end. That’s because the program’s funding has dried up. Unless Congress acts quickly with more funding, the Affordable Connectivity Program will have to wind down operations. The FCC is warning if the Affordable Connectivity Program for veterans isn’t funded by Congress over 23 million households will lose valuable services. The program has provided free or discounted cell phone service, internet and cable connectivity to veterans throughout the country.”

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“Unless Congress acts, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is set to run out of funds by May. When that happens, millions of Americans could lose their internet access and access to critical services like healthcare, education, and job opportunities. Why it matters: To date, the program has helped connect over 23 million Americans, a significant step forward in the nation’s mission to close the digital divide. Recently, the FCC surveyed program participants to understand the program’s impact. The full report can be found here.”

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The Affordable Connectivity Program offers discounted internet access to over half a million households in Arizona. But this program could end in April, something advocates say would decimate low income residents’ internet access and affect commerce across the board. The ACP is a $14.2 billion federal program funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Qualifying households can receive a monthly discount of up to $30 a month, or $75 dollars a month on tribal lands. Enrollment was frozen in February due to continuing funding concerns, and the program will end in April if not renewed by the federal government. “The ACP was created as part of the Infrastructure Act in December of 2021,” EducationSuperHighway Vice President of Government Affairs Adeyinka Ogunlegan said.

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It’s hard to believe in this age of hyper-connectivity, but about half a million people living in New York City and its suburbs still lack access to high-speed broadband despite more than a decade of state and federal programs that have poured billions of dollars into closing the digital divide. It’s a jarring reminder that lack of online access isn’t just a rural issue, but one that strikes nearly at the center of a global hub synonymous with all things modern and high-tech. All told, roughly half of the state’s 1 million households who lack access or a subscription to home broadband services are on Long Island, the Mid-Hudson Valley and New York City, according to a 2021 report from state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office.

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