(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . BFD! Affordable Connectivity Act is expiring end of April. Congress must act or harm millions. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-04-06 A crisis for many low-income internet users is looming. It’s linked to a critical government program expected to run out of funding at the end of April. Known as the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), the benefit provides discounts on internet service valued at up to $30 per month to qualifying low-income households, or up to $75 per month for eligible recipients on tribal lands. Lawmakers have known for months about the approaching deadline. Yet Congress is nowhere close to approving the $6 billion that President Joe Biden says would renew the ACP and avert calamity for tens of millions of Americans. This past week, congressional leaders missed what advocates say was the last, best legislative opportunity for funding the ACP: The 11th-hour budget deal designed to avert a government shutdown. The bill text released this week includes no money for the program, heightening the odds of an emergency that will plunge millions into financial distress just months before the pivotal 2024 election. Now, with time running out for the ACP, the FCC has been forced to begin shutting down the program — halting new signups and warning users their benefits are about to be suspended. www.cnn.com/… The Affordable Connectivity Program stopped accepting new applications and enrollments on February 7, 2024. The last fully funded month of the program is April 2024. www.fcc.gov/… The Affordable Connectivity Program, or ACP, provides monthly discounts of $30 to $75 to help low-income households pay for home internet. The FCC’s move to freeze new sign-ups is another step toward the program’s expiration, which the FCC discussed in a letter to Congress in early January. Existing subscribers will still receive the discount until April, when, the FCC says, the program will officially run out of money unless Congress takes action to extend funding. The change disproportionately affects minorities, people of color, veterans and seniors, according to a White House fact sheet released Tuesday. The sheet says 1 in 4 households participating in the ACP program are African American, 1 in 4 are Latino and nearly half are military families, along with 4 million seniors and 10 million Americans over the age of 50. www.cnet.com/… Access to broadband is one of the most important equity issues of our time. That’s why it’s such a big problem when access to broadband isn’t universal – and it isn’t. Historically marginalized communities, including Black, Latine, Indigenous, rural and low-income consumers are all far less likely to have access to the internet. One of the top reasons for this disparity is subscription cost. U.S. broadband prices are amongst the most expensive in the world – with the average U.S. household paying $84.37 a month, compared to $46.83 in Europe and $64.29 in Asia. For many households, the high price of an internet subscription may mean that, when times get tough, they have to choose: broadband or food. www.aclu.org/… x My Affordable Connectivity Program has helped over 23 million households save $30-75 each per month on their monthly internet bills. Republicans on the Hill have called the program 'wasteful,' and now threaten to cut it. Here's why we can't let that happen. — President Biden (@POTUS) April 6, 2024 x 23 million Americans rely on our Affordable Connectivity Program to access affordable high-speed internet. Congress must extend its funding to help keep these Americans connected. pic.twitter.com/mGZUuBHYrb — Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) April 6, 2024 x In exactly one week, 23 million households will be notified that their internet access through the Affordable Connectivity Program is ending. In 2024, internet access is a RIGHT. Tell Congress to bring the issue of funding affordable internet to a vote! https://t.co/yQRSq7k4qa — ColorOfChange (@ColorOfChange) April 6, 2024 [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/4/6/2233872/-BFD-Affordable-Connectivity-Act-is-expiring-end-of-April-Congress-must-act-or-harm-millions?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/