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By Failing to Fund the Affordable Connectivity Program, Congress Puts Broadband Access and Jobs at Risk
Today marks the last day that over 22 million households will receive full discounts under the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Partial discounts will continue for another month, after which, if Congress does not act, the ACP benefit will no longer be available.
Members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) who build, maintain, and support our nation’s communications infrastructure have seen firsthand the need for the ACP in our cities, suburbs, and rural areas. The ACP provides discounts to low-income households struggling to afford internet service. Our union has a longstanding commitment to making sure that every household in America has reliable high-speed internet service, and the ACP is an important tool for reaching that goal.
The ACP both makes internet service more affordable and ensures that there will be a customer base for internet service providers who build high-speed connections to previously underserved areas. This increases the effectiveness of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s investment in updating and expanding high-speed broadband across the country and creates more good jobs to build and support new connections.
Despite the success of the ACP, its bipartisan appeal, and the widespread need for affordable connectivity, Congress has not been able to move forward on funding for the program. We need our lawmakers to treat the internet as the essential resource that it is and use our public dollars to ensure that all Americans have access to the life-saving online services they need, from telehealth to remote work and online education. We cannot risk this historic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to close our country’s digital divide by letting the ACP run out.
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About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.