Millions of low-income households and people who have lost their jobs in the last year could soon receive a monthly subsidy of $ 50 to pay their bills online. The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved a $ 3.2 billion plan to provide aid to help more households afford access to the Internet during the pandemic.
The program will be open to households already participating in a pandemic or low-income assistance program provided by a broadband service, as well as to people already enrolled in the FCC Lifeline program for low-income people and households with children receiving free or reduced income. . -the price of school meals. In addition, the program will be open to people who have lost their jobs and had low incomes in the last year, the agency said.
Jessica Rosenworcel, the current president of the FCC, said in a statement that the program will be open to eligible households in the next 60 days.
The program’s eligibility guidelines could also open the program to the 117 million households that have lost their jobs since March 13, when the pandemic closed the economy, according to recent US census data. It is likely that some of these households will have a reduction in hours without losing their jobs.
Experts say the potential group of eligible families can quickly exceed funding for the program. With the depletion of $ 3.2 billion, the program will end, according to the National Alliance for Digital Inclusion, a group advocating for broadband access.
“There are two things to know about this program: one is that it’s very good, it’s in place and two, it’s certainly not enough,” said Phillip Lovell, vice president of policy development and government relations for the Alliance for Excellent Education, an organization non-profit that focuses on improving educational outcomes for high school students.
A $ 12 billion broadband access gap
The education group estimates that it would take between $ 7 billion and $ 12 billion to provide broadband access to the millions of children who do not currently have access – a problem that became acute during the pandemic as almost all schools switched to online training. . About 17 million children are unable to connect to distance learning because of the so-called “homework gaps,” according to a July study by the Alliance for Excellent Education, the National Association of Indian Education, the National Urban League and Unidos
The FCC’s subsidy program is “a big win for human rights,” said Dayton Young, product director at Fight for the Future, a group that advocates for Internet access.
But, Young added, it is “the least relief we should offer to people across America who are struggling because of the impact of COVID-19. No one should have to make a decision between buying food and paying for internet access so that their children can take online classes, and yet this is a decision that countless people have had to make in the last year. “
Rosenworcel of the FCC said the program aims to help people who have had to stay in parking lots or outside a public library to catch a wifi signal, as well as free up household budgets that have been squeezed by the economic impact. of the pandemic. An analysis of Internet bills by the Wall Street Journal found that the average bill for autonomous broadband service was about $ 66 a month.
The FCC program will also include a one-time $ 100 discount on a computer or tablet for eligible households. The internet service discount will be up to $ 75 per month for those living in tribal lands.