Marginalized Populations

UScellular is supporting its customers who have the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) benefit with a monthly credit to help ensure they can stay connected. ACP is a Federal Communications Commission benefit program that helps households afford the broadband they need to connect to education, careers, family, and friends. Unfortunately for millions of well-deserving Americans, Congress has not approved a budget to continue the program, and April 2024 is expected to be the last fully funded month. Starting in May 2024, UScellular is providing a $12 credit every month for 12 months on curr

For residents in rural areas of Williamson County (TN), the wait for fiber internet service may soon be over.

Over 900,000 households in North Carolina will lose access to affordable internet at the end of April if Congress does not give more funding to the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The program provides eligible low-income households with a discount of up to $30 per month on internet service.

For urban and rural communities, the digital divide is more than just the lack of access to high-speed internet — it’s a disconnect from economic and social ties as well as opportunities in a fast-changing society. Roberto Gallardo, Purdue University’s vice president for engagement, has spent the past decade analyzing local and regional community economic development, including the use of technology. He notes that the U.S.

On March 14, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission concluded that broadband is not being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress has allocated tens of billions of dollars to support broadband deployment so it may not come as a huge surprise that the FCC came to this conclusion. Approximately 24 million Americans (7% of the total U.S.

Aldo Soledad relies on his phone's data plan to take care of his internet needs. When it comes to living without home internet, he isn't alone. Millions of Americans are without broadband, either because of a lack of access or because they can't afford it.

The National Lifeline Association (NaLA) submitted a petition to the Federal Communications Commission requesting that the FCC temporarily waive the Lifeline reimbursement amounts in the Commission’s rules until Congress allocates additional funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) or passes broader legislation to reform the Universal Service Fund (USF) and pay for the ACP in an alternative manner.

Connecticut has been building its digital infrastructure to get more households online. Those efforts rely on federal funding to help the state address these gaps, particularly in places with limited access to affordable high-speed internet. But a federal program reducing monthly internet bills and providing device subsidies for lower-income households will sunset at the end of April if Congress does not renew funding.

The projected end of the federal government's ACP (Affordable Connectivity Program) will leave many low–income households looking for affordable internet options. Nearly 23 million people nationwide rely on the $30 subsidy ($75 for tribal land) to defray the cost of internet service or secure internet service for free.

On April 25, the Federal Communications Commission will vote to reinstate the net neutrality rules and resume real regulatory oversight over broadband. It is critical that the text of this reinstated regulatory framework does not inadvertently undermine its own objectives in regards to broadband affordability.