FCC Commissioner: Congress Must Unite on Affordable Internet

With the Affordable Connectivity Program no longer accepting applications and scheduled to fold due to lack of funding, "current households will confront a choice between bill shock and disconnection," FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks wrote in an opinion piece for The Hill on Thursday.

Unless Congress acts, the program will be unable to provide full benefits to enrolled households come April.

"To put it plainly, the Affordable Connectivity Program is the most effective program we've had in helping low-income Americans get online and stay online. Indeed, it has been the most successful program ever in our decades-long bipartisan effort to solve the digital divide," Starks wrote.

While at one time a luxury, access to high-speed internet has become as critical to participating in the modern world as heat and electricity. Starks cautioned that if the program is allowed to collapse due to lack of funding, many low-income families will quickly feel the ramifications: from online homework for students, to job searching and telehealth for adults.

Sparks cited the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program as another investment that will be handcuffed if the ACP folds.

"That program put $42.5 billion into building new networks that reach millions of unserved and then-underserved homes, primarily in rural communities," he wrote. "But without the Affordable Connectivity Program, Broadband Equity Access and Deployment dollars will not reach as far as they could. The Affordable Connectivity Program makes building out to these rural homes less risky and less expensive, because more of the serviceable population can afford to subscribe."

Sparks was optimistic however due to the bipartisan nature of support with 26 bipartisan governors and 174 mayors urging Congress to act.

"Closing the digital divide is about opening opportunities for all, including the millions of Americans who lack broadband because they can't otherwise afford it. At this pivotal moment, we can't turn back," Sparks concluded.

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