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The Biden-Harris Administration Releases New Measures to Reduce the Cost of High-Speed Internet
To encourage more Individuals to sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program and cut their monthly internet bills, the Biden-Harris administration today announced the release of $73 million in Affordable Connectivity Outreach Funds.
Affordably priced, dependable high-speed internet is essential for opportunity in the twenty-first century, allowing users to access jobs, healthcare, education, precision agriculture, and social media. Still, too many people lack access to high-speed internet due to a lack of infrastructure, restrictions imposed by prohibitive pricing, or technical limitations. As a result of the severe economic, health, and other disparities caused by the lack of accessible, dependable high-speed internet, these injustices particularly affect older Americans, rural areas, and communities of color.
The Biden-Harris Administration is releasing an additional $73 million in Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grants to help more Americans sign up for the program and save on internet costs. These investments include:
$66 million in the Affordable Connectivity Outreach Program to drive awareness and enrollment in the country’s newest and largest broadband affordability program in the nation’s history. Building on its current community partnerships, the FCC is providing financial support to partner organizations nationwide to serve as trusted community messengers for the Affordable Connectivity Program and equip them with funding to pursue innovative outreach strategies to reach historically underserved communities, including money set aside for outreach to households on Tribal lands. The FCC selected 197 applicants representing 50 states and territories to pursue a broad range of outreach projects to promote the Affordable Connectivity Program.
Over $7 million in outreach grants to support two additional one-year, pilot programs to raise awareness of the Affordable Connectivity Program. The two pilot programs will test a variety of methods to reach out to federal housing communities, and work with trusted third parties to assist consumers in applying for the Affordable Connectivity Program.
The Affordable Connectivity Program, administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), provides eligible households up to $30/month (or up to $75/month on qualifying Tribal lands) off internet bills, as well as a one-time discount of up to $100 off a laptop, desktop computer or tablet. To further lower costs, in May 2022, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced commitments from internet service providers across the country to offer high-speed plans that are fully covered by the Affordable Connectivity Program–meaning millions of working families can now get high-speed internet without paying a dime. They simultaneously launched GetInternet.gov–a one-stop shop to check eligibility and sign up.
