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Dear Friend,
I don’t need to tell you that internet is a vital resource for us all. It connects us to opportunities and healthcare, helps us stay up to date, and keeps us in touch with family and friends.
Everyone should have access to internet at a cost they can afford.
I'm here with an update on my work to save the Affordable Connectivity Program. First, I want to hear why the internet is important to you.
By completing this survey, you will receive regular email updates from my office.
Internet for All: Working to Save the Affordable Connectivity Program
The Affordable Connectivity Program was created by the Infrastructure Law which I helped pass in 2021. The program partners with internet service companies to provide low-cost internet at $30/month to those who need it.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), 1 in 6 households nationwide are enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program – including 31,000 households in eastern Connecticut – and 50 percent of all enrollees are active-duty military families.
Unfortunately, unless Congress acts, the Affordable Connectivity Program will end this spring due to lack of funding. Based on a recent survey by Benenson Strategy Group in collaboration with Comcast, 75 percent of enrolled households could face internet service loss or disruption without the program. Already, the FCC has stopped accepting new applications for the program.
I’m working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to fully fund the Affordable Connectivity Program. Last month, I joined program enrollees, librarians, and internet service providers at the East Lyme Public Library to discuss the importance of low-cost internet.
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| Click here watch news coverage of Rep. Courtney's press conference at the East Lyme Public Library. |
I’m hopeful that, with bipartisan support, we can pass legislation to keep the Affordable Connectivity Program online. I support the bipartisan Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act, and I joined my Republican Colleague Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) for an interview on the program’s upcoming cliff and our work to avoid it. Watch below.
Thank you for taking some time to read my update. For weekly news from eastern Connecticut and Congress, subscribe to my weekly eNewsletter.
If we can be of any assistance, don't hesitate to give my Norwich office a call at (860) 886-0139.
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
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