House Republicans are putting internet access at risk for tens of millions of Americans by refusing to fund the Affordable Connectivity Program.
According to a fact sheet provided by the White House:
High-speed internet is necessary for Americans to attend school, do their jobs, access healthcare, and stay connected. But too many Americans can’t afford the cost of a monthly connection, if they have access to it at all. To change that, President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill launched the Affordable Connectivity Program, the largest Internet accessibility program in our nation’s history.
Today, the Affordable Connectivity program helps more than 23 million families across the country save $30 to $75 each per month on their monthly Internet bills.
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Republicans push the false claim that programs like the ACP benefit liberals or people in cities while it is red states and rural America that benefit the most. For example, in Alaska, 1 in 11 internet customers in the state save money on internet access through the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). In Texas, 1.7 million families save money by using high-speed Internet.
In Alabama, 413,000 families save money by using high-speed Internet. In Mississippi, 244,000 families save money on high-speed internet through ACP.
Republican refusal to act will harm veterans, students, seniors, and Black and Latino communities. In a call with reporters, the Biden administration highlighted the harm that would be done to vulnerable people if they lost the chance to save money on high-speed internet.
From children’s ability to do homework online to the ability to work online, high-speed Internet is vital, and the ACP program, along with broadband expansion in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, is another way the President has sought to level the playing field and create opportunities.
Republicans in Congress want to kill the program and demonstrate that they have no interest in using their power to help the American people.
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