Low-income

Los Angeles County has started work on a wireless broadband network that will deliver high-speed connections for as little as $25 a month. The county signed a contract with WeLink of Lehi, Utah, to build the network and offer the service in East Los Angeles, Boyle Heights and South Los Angeles.

In 2021, Los Angeles County leaders decided they wanted to close the digital divide in some underserved areas. So, the county issued a request for proposal, soliciting bids from broadband providers. Surprisingly, WeLink, a relatively unknown fixed wireless access (FWA) provider, won the contract, beating out incumbents such as AT&T and Charter Communications.

Sen Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Chair of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, announced additional co-sponsors for his amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2023 to strengthen the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), complete the equipment removal of China-based companies, Huawei and ZTE, and allow the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reauction certain spectrum licenses to create more responsive networks for consumers.

Sens Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), JD Vance (R-OH), Peter Welch (D-VT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2023 to strengthen the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), complete the equipment removal of China-based companies, Huawei and ZTE, and allow the Federal Communications Commission to reauction certain spectrum licenses to create more responsive networks for consumers. Access to broadband provides vital connections to education, health care and economic opportunity.

On behalf of The National Domestic Violence Hotline, we write to request robust additional funding for the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Access to affordable high-speed internet is not a luxury in 2024. This ACP is the largest broadband affordability effort in our Nation’s history which has successfully allowed more than 23 million households to get—and stay—connected to robust broadband service at home.

There’s a new plan to revive the Affordable Connectivity Program, a pandemic-era initiative that provides low-income households in the US with discounts on high-speed internet access. A bipartisan group of senators, led by Sen Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) have proposed using a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization measure as a vehicle for funding the ACP and other telecom programs for a combined $6 billion.

With the Federal Communications Commission's recent proposal to ban bulk billing arrangements in the multifamily industry, the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) has been hard at work to ensure policymakers understand the full impact on the multifamily broadband industry.

More than 1 in 5 households with an internet subscription in the US utilize the Affordable Connectivity Program, and it’s almost unanimously supported by voters: Polling from Public Opinion Strategies and RG Strategies shows that 78% of voters want to extend the ACP, including 64% of Republicans, 70% of independents and 95% of Democrats. A 

Back in the pandemic depths of December 2020, when so many Americans were working, learning and performing essential daily tasks online, the Federal Communications Commission launched an emergency program to help low-income people connect to high-speed internet with a $50-per-month subsidy. That was extended with the Affordable Connectivity Program, which has provided $30 a month for internet service.

Microsoft and OpenAI launched a $2 million Societal Resilience Fund to further artificial intelligence education and literacy among voters and vulnerable communities. Grants delivered from the fund will help several organizations—including Older Adults Technology Services from AARP (OATS), the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and Partnership on AI (PAI)—to deliver AI education and support their work to create better understanding of AI capabilities.