High speed internet access is no longer a luxury — in the 21st century it is an absolute necessity for modern life. Today, more than ever, tens of millions of Americans rely on broadband to work from home, apply for veterans’ benefits, attend school, run their small businesses, and access health care. Yet, hundreds of thousands of Connecticut households still can’t afford internet or live in areas where service is unreliable.
We saw the dire need for affordable high-speed internet during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As Congress built a COVID relief package in 2020, I championed emergency broadband benefits to help people across Connecticut connect to services that made working, attending school, and accessing services possible during lockdown.
These benefits became the Affordable Connectivity Program — which currently helps 180,728 low-income families in Connecticut alone afford quality internet access by providing a monthly discount of $30 off their internet bills and a one-time $100 for a laptop, desktop computer or tablet. In some rural and tribal communities, the discount can be as high as $75 a month.
The Affordable Connectivity Program was so popular and necessary for millions of families that it may run out of funding. As Hartford resident Rosa Arroyo wrote in her opinion piece recently, these funds are a lifeline for struggling families, and yet they are at risk of disappearing if Republicans succeed in cutting them from the federal budget. Millions of Americans could be at risk of losing access to affordable internet — jeopardizing their employment, ability to pursue educational opportunities, access to health care services and so much more. We cannot and will not let that happen.
In the last year, I successfully fought for millions of dollars to support affordable broadband access in Connecticut—including $40.8 million from the Department of Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund and $144 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program. These funds are at work in Connecticut, helping connect families like Arroyo’s to high-speed internet at a sustainable and affordable cost.
Continuing the Affordable Connectivity Program is imperative. Our future is digital and anyone lacking access will be unacceptably isolated and disadvantaged. In October, I joined 31 of my Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Congressional leadership urging continued funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program and advocating for a more permanent solution to the digital divide so that families aren’t forced off the connectivity cliff.
Refusing to fund the Affordable Connectivity Program would undermine years of work by Congress and Connecticut to make broadband access more equitable. I will keep fighting in Washington for families like Rosa Arroyo’s because no one should have to choose between putting food on the table, keeping the lights on, or connecting to the internet.
To find out if you are eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program, you can call the ACP Support Center at 877-384-2575.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal is Connecticut’s senior senator.
Tyler Fields is your internet guru, delving into the latest trends, developments, and issues shaping the online world. With a focus on internet culture, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, Tyler keeps readers informed about the dynamic landscape of the internet and its impact on our digital lives.
