Four years ago, Claudia Aleman and her family had only one way to get online. It's a mobile phone. Computer Internet Without her services, my younger daughter couldn't get her homework on time, her parents couldn't keep up with her doctor's appointments online, and she couldn't access the English classes she wanted to sign up for. .
Then something happened that changed the situation drastically. The federal government has begun offering subsidies that cover $30 of a family's $80 monthly internet bill.
But two months ago, while opening the mail at her home in Southgate, Calif., Aleman said the Affordable Connections program she relied on would end in May unless Congress approves more funding. Then I found a letter from the Federal Communications Commission announcing the issue.
“My husband is the only one working, and everything is very expensive now,” Aleman said. “Sometimes she doesn't have $30 to spare.”
“This program has made a huge difference in our lives,” she added. “Without it, life would be difficult. I don't think I'm the only one who feels that way.”
The program was created in response to the pandemic as many Americans turned to the internet to connect to work and school, reaching 23 million Americans (1 in 6 U.S. households). are registered, including nearly 3 million people in California.
Since 2021, it has provided subsidies of $30 per month to low-income households and $75 per month to households living on tribal land. But the $14.2 billion raised through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has dried up.
April is the last month in which program benefits will be paid in full, but households can receive a partial discount in May.
In a letter to Congress this month, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote that without funding the program, the program would have a wide range of consequences, especially for seniors, veterans, school children, and residents of rural and tribal communities. He warned that there would be serious repercussions.
“Households across the country are now facing difficult choices about how to cut back on expenses like food and gas to maintain broadband access, with some “Some of us are wondering if we can afford it,” she wrote.
Internet service providers have their own programs for low-income households. Users can find providers in their area by entering their address into FCC's Broadband Map. The California Public Utilities Commission also provides a list of providers that offer low-cost internet plans.
However, finding cheaper alternatives can be difficult. She may be the only health care provider in a rural household, and those who cannot afford it have little recourse.
Rep. Salud Carvajal (D-Calif.) is one of 228 bipartisan co-sponsors of the Affordable Connections Program Extension Act of 2024, which provides additional funding to keep the program in existence for another year. It will provide $7 billion. Co-sponsors include 22 Republicans, including Representative Young Kim of California.
“It's mind-boggling that we can't understand what this is doing to strengthen our economy and improve the skills and opportunities for so many Americans,” Carvajal said. Allowing the program to expire would “undermine the progress we have made to close the digital divide,” he said. It would take us back to the dark ages. ”
However, the program has been criticized by some Republicans for subsidizing households that already have internet service, and the bill has not been submitted for a single floor vote in the Republican-led House of Representatives. do not have. They also pointed to the FCC's internal watchdog's findings last year that providers failed to comply with the program's rules and improperly claimed funds.
Sens. John Thune (R-South Dakota) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in a statement last year that the plan was “subject to massive waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars.” Stated.
An FCC survey of 5,300 households conducted in December found that more than two-thirds of respondents said they did not have access to the internet or had no access to the internet before participating in the federal program; The majority cited affordability. Approximately one-third of respondents said they use both mobile and home Internet services.
In October, the Biden administration sent a request to Congress for an additional $6 billion to continue the program, but it was not passed.
Carvajal said letting the program lapse even if it could be reinstated later would require additional spending for assistance and re-enrollment. He also worries that those who benefit from it will feel a sense of whiplash and lose faith in the federal government.
California recently committed $70 million in federal funding to affordable internet services, devices, and training. Carvajal said he's glad to see the state taking action, but it's not enough.
“You can't look at it from a parochial standpoint,” he said. “I'm not just worried about the Central Coast and my state, I'm worried about the entire country.”
Still, Carvajal said he is optimistic that something will be in place by May 1. A similar situation unfolded to his advantage at the last minute, he said.
In Los Angeles, federal programs have played a key role in the county's efforts to close the digital divide exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Local promotions increased his Los Angeles enrollment to nearly 1 million households.
County officials partnered with the nonprofit organization EveryoneOn to disseminate information. CEO Norma Fernandez worries that her family will be confused by the increase in their internet bills and won't understand why the program was ended.
“We've tried very hard to bring people together and provided a ton of practical support, and then we're going to take it away from people,” she said. “It will bring despair.”
For Aleman's family, the pandemic changed everything. When schools first closed, they turned to a Los Angeles County Unified School District program that provides free internet to eligible students.
However, the service was unreliable, with access often slowing down or freezing. So Aleman began leaving her daughter Miranda, now 11, with her sister and neighbors who had reliable internet access so she could attend online classes and do homework. .
“I think my daughter lost her entire school year,” she said.
Even after schools reopen, the need for internet access at home remains the same. Most of Miranda's assignments are still online.
In 2022, he enrolled in a federal grant program and gained internet access through AT&T, and his life immediately improved. Miranda started turning in her assignments on time. Aleman's eldest daughters, ages 17 and 21, were able to do their schoolwork at her home rather than at her library or at her relatives' homes.
It also brought about changes in her parents. Her father, who is diabetic, is taking nutrition courses online, and her mother, who has asthma, requires regular video exams by her doctor. And Aleman was finally able to maintain regular contact with her family in Mexico.
Aleman said she has been applying for jobs to help pay for her husband's living expenses since she learned the program was ending. She plans to pay her internet bill in May, with her husband probably using a credit card.
Beyond that, “there’s always a library,” she said.
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