There is a new plan to revive the Affordable Connectivity Program, a pandemic-era initiative that offers low-income households in the US discounts on high-speed internet access.
At the end of April, funding for the program ran out, affecting millions of people. But a bipartisan group of senators, led by Ben Ray Luján of California, proposed using a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization measure as a vehicle to fund ACP and other telecommunications programs for a combined $6 billion. Luján’s coalition includes Senators JD Vance, Peter Welch, Jacky Rosen, Steve Daines and Roger Wicker.
“At this time, there are more than 23 million households participating in this program, that is, more than 55 million people. But it not only benefits these individual families, it also benefits their local communities,” Luján tells WIRED. “It gives families access to better-paying jobs, training and education to create economic mobility, and better deals on food and household items. Now is the time to save this program.”
The measure also includes a provision for the Federal Communications Commission’s “removal and replacement program,” which reimburses U.S. telecommunications providers for removing equipment from Chinese manufacturers, including Huawei and ZTE, from their networks and replacing it with less technology. risky. Earlier this month, the FCC asked Congress for about 2,000 million dollars to help bolster the program, which has faced a deficit. That initiative has been in place since 2020, which was when the FCC identified Huawei and ZTE as national security threats, and then-President Donald Trump signed the “rip and replace” bill into law.
“It is also critical that we adequately fund the ‘rip and replace’ program to ensure our country can move forward in the effort to remove and replace untrusted technology equipment. “This amendment also empowers the FCC to re-auction spectrum licenses to free up airwaves and allow more opportunities for the public to access faster Internet speeds and more responsive networks,” Luján said.
The Biden administration has made significant investments in broadband expansion in recent years. In a speech last month, Biden called on Congress to reinvest in the ACP.
“High-speed internet is no longer a luxury, it’s an absolute necessity,” Biden said. “Congress needs to reauthorize that program now.”
