Written in TRENDS he
Access to Internet It has stopped being a luxury over the years. And being a fundamental tool for daily information, work and bureaucracy; For many governments and institutions, it is unthinkable that certain communities do not have access to online connectivity. This is how the Federal Accessible Connectivity Program was born in USAin which, the Federal Communications Commission offers discounts of up to $30 a month so that low-income families can have a functional modem at home. However, this advantage could be very close to disappearing.
Why might certain US households be left without Internet?
After the Federal Communications Commission inform you that you are facing a funding problem; It is estimated that 60 million people could lose their access to Internet in USA (i.e. about 1 in 5 households.) For now, the well-known discount program is said to only have enough funds to meet April coverage. Likewise, the organization in charge of providing connectivity benefits to low-income families explained that everything is due to the lack of recent funding from the US Congress.
So, starting in May 2024, discounts on Internet could not be applied in their entirety; reducing from the usual 30 dollars to only 14 dollars. Meanwhile, numerous media of USAhave reported that a bipartisan group of legislators was already in charge of supporting the conflict. This group reportedly submitted a bill in January of this year to forgive up to $7 billion in order to extend the program. However, the main problem is that said project has not yet been put to a proper vote, and it could drag on for more months.
It is worth remembering that the Federal Accessible Connectivity Program in USA was derived from the so-called ‘Emergency Broadband Benefit,’ carried out during the year 2021. This was a response to the need for connectivity left by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, where many people were unable to leaving home. Currently, it is estimated that up to 20 percent of all broadband subscriptions USAdepend to various measures on the discount that is at risk.