WASHINGTON – A federal program intended to provide Internet access to low-income households is expected to run out of funding sometime in May, meaning millions of people could have to adapt to a life without Internet access.
The Affordable Connectivity Program began during the pandemic and provides more than 23 million households with grants to support broadband access for jobs, education, healthcare and other vital life needs. the society.
The Federal Communications Commission reports that the program started with $14.2 billion, but that funding is expected to be completely exhausted by mid-May, according to representatives of the United States Telecom Association.
“This does not bode well for many of our neediest citizens and their children,” said Jonathan Spalter, president and CEO of USTelecom.
In the era of widespread internet availability, school districts, medical professionals and others have turned to virtual alternatives in the face of threats from extreme weather – an option that may not be viable once funding exhausted for millions of Americans.
Virtual learning days and the use of telemedicine have made it possible to continue operations in establishments despite bad weather, without forcing children or vulnerable people into elements that can often be dangerous.
Before the pandemic, organizations and institutions simply closed during what were often called “snow days” in the North and “hurricane days” in the South, but completely canceling work hours resulted in lost productivity .
New York City public schools shifted to online learning in February, ahead of the threat of the heaviest snowfall in two years, and the risk of an early-season tornado outbreak in the South in January pushed some school districts, from the Carolinas to Florida, to implement online learning. learn instead of possibly exposing children to bad weather.
According to a 2020 EdWeek Research Center survey, 39% of school district leaders nationwide are using virtual learning in place of weather cancellations and 32% of school districts have considered making a change policy in favor of the virtual option.
With the possibility that fewer households will have sufficient internet access thanks to ACP funding, this raises concerns about the ability of institutions to resort to virtual workarounds, an issue USTelecom executives said they have heard about .
“We’ve heard from hundreds of groups, rural groups, public housing authorities, AARP… School groups and community groups are writing to their members of Congress telling them that this is a much-needed program,” he said. Spalter said.
According to a 2020 EdWeek Research Center survey, 39% of school district leaders nationwide are using virtual learning in place of weather cancellations and 32% of school districts have considered making a change policy in favor of the virtual option.
With the possibility that fewer households will have sufficient internet access thanks to ACP funding, this raises concerns about the ability of institutions to resort to virtual workarounds, an issue USTelecom executives said they have heard about .
“We’ve heard from hundreds of groups, rural groups, public housing authorities, AARP… School groups and community groups are writing to their members of Congress telling them that this is a much-needed program,” he said. Spalter said.
New York Post
