Low-income

Mayor Muriel Bowser was joined by Chief Technology Officer Lindsey Parker and broadband provider WeLink to announce the Community Internet Program (CIP), a new initiative that will give Internet Service Providers (ISPs) free access to Washington (DC)-owned building rooftops if they commit to providing high-speed connections (at minimum, 200 Mbps download/200 Mbps upload) at reduced or no cost to households eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program. Their antennas will also serve as neighborhood hubs that will be able to feed internet to residential properties – all at no cost to DC.

Low-income Americans are discerning broadband consumers who are well-attuned to the nuances of service plans, in the midst of dealing with internet service bills that are often a burden on their household budgets. The indispensability of internet access—a need the pandemic has underscored—places service quality next to affordability in the minds of low-income consumers.

Data from the 2021 NTIA Internet Use Survey show that historically less-connected communities used the Internet and connected devices in greater numbers than they did two years ago before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The White House announced the expansion of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) with the launch of a new website and agreements with internet service providers that could cut internet cost

Lower-income Americans now have more options for free high-speed internet access, including at least eight providers that serve Southern California. The federal government launched the Affordable Connectivity Program at the end of 2021 to provide $30-per-month subsidies for households with incomes no more than twice the federal poverty level.

“As Vice President Harris said today, ‘Everyone in the US should be able to afford broadband access.’" said Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Executive Director Adrianne B Furniss. "Today’s White House announcement will improve affordable access for low-income families. In addition, the work supported by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the American Rescue Plan that will be done in the States should ensure that affordable, robust broadband networks reach every address in the country.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's $65 billion in broadband funding is fueling a nationwide rush by state and local

President Biden and Vice President Harris announced that they have secured private sector commitments that will lower high-speed internet costs for millions of American families. As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the President and Vice President worked with Democrats and Republicans to create the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which allows tens of millions of American households to reduce their internet service costs by up to $30/month (or $75/month on Tribal lands).

A $14 billion federal program to increase access to high-speed internet faces an early hurdle: The people who need it most are the hardest to reach because they aren’t online. The roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law that President Biden signed last November includes $65 billion to build up the country’s broadband network—a need 

The Biden administration will partner with internet providers to lower the cost of high-speed internet plans for low-income Americans. The Affordable Connectivity Program will provide plans of at least 100 Megabits per second of speed for no more than $30.