digital inclusion
A Pennsylvania bill seeks to emulate the federal Affordable Connectivity Program by providing a $30 monthly subsidy for Internet costs.
WASHINGTON, April 12, 2024 – A bill was introduced to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Monday that would establish a statewide internet subsidy program that mirrors the federal Affordable Connectivity Initiative.
House Bill 2195 Designed to make broadband internet more affordable for families facing financial hardship by providing a $30 monthly subsidy to help pay for monthly internet subscriptions.
This development comes as federal ACP funding comes to an end, expected in April 2024 last month benefits unless Congress takes action.
ACP was established with $14.2 billion allocated through the American Rescue Plan Act on December 31, 2021, to support one in seven Pennsylvania households or More than 760,000 households alone in the state.
The Pennsylvania bill, backed by 21 Democratic co-sponsors, outlines not only monthly internet subsidies but also reimbursements to participating providers of up to $100 for internet-connected devices to qualifying households.
Unlike the federal ACP, the proposed state program would not provide the higher $75 subsidy to families on tribal lands or to extremely rural families in high-cost areas.
The bill would establish a permanent fund in the Pennsylvania Department of the Treasury to support the new initiative, called the Affordable Broadband Internet Access Service Initiative.
ACP advocates include Federal Communications Commission and Biden administrationCalls on Congress to secure funding to maintain the ACP have been called on since October, but so far, those efforts have been unsuccessful.
this ACP Extension ActA bipartisan bill to inject $7 billion into the fund has 223 co-sponsors in the house and There are five people in the Senate. However, Industry analysts are skeptical On the possibility of Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike JohnsonLouisiana Republicans, allowing a floor vote on the bill.
represent. Yvette ClarkNew York Democrats who co-sponsored the bill have sponsored a petition to discharge A vote on the bill is mandatory on Tuesday. For the petition to advance, it must be supported by a majority of the House of Representatives, which requires at least 218 signatures.
With the ACP’s impending demise, state-level initiatives such as HB 2195 may be a solution to the potential impact of reduced federal support for broadband access.
