The Biden-Harris Administration is crediting the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by Congress last November for helping more than 10 million households to enroll the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) broadband affordability program.
During a White House event with Vice President Kamala Harris, FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, and Senior Advisor Mitch Landrieu, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that more than 10 million households are enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program, which the White House says is the nation’s largest-ever broadband affordability program.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to removing barriers to high-speed, affordable internet access,” the White House said in a statement. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, millions of families who previously could not get online or struggled to pay for this modern-day necessity are now connected.”
Through the Affordable Connectivity Program low-income households eligible to receive a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service, and up to $75 per month for eligible households on Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if the household contributes more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.
The $14.2 billion Affordable Connectivity Program, which launched last month, was created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and is the successor program to the Emergency Broadband Benefit program. Over the course of its existence, the Emergency Broadband Benefit program helped almost nine million people to afford internet access during the COVID-19 pandemic.
