Millions of low-income families and people who lost their jobs last year will soon be able to receive a $ 50 monthly allowance to help pay their internet bills. The Federal Communications Commission approved on Thursday a $ 3.2 billion plan to provide help to help more families access the Internet during the pandemic.
The program will be open to families already participating in a pandemic or low-income relief program offered by a broadband service, as well as people already enrolled in the FCC’s Lifeline program for low-income people and families with children receiving free or discount -price for school meals. In addition, the program will be open to people who lost jobs and had their income reduced last year, the agency said.
Jessica Rosenworcel, acting chairman of the FCC, said in a statement that the program would be open to eligible families within the next 60 days.
The program’s eligibility guidelines may also open the program to 117 million families who have lost employment income since March 13, when the pandemic closed the economy, according to recent data from the US Census. It is likely that some of these families have been cut in hours without losing their jobs.
Experts say that the potential group of eligible families can quickly exceed program funding. When the $ 3.2 billion is over, the program will end, according to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, a group that advocates for broadband access.
“There are two things you should know about this program: one is that it’s great to be in place, and second, it’s definitely not enough,” said Phillip Lovell, vice president of policy and government relations development at Alliance for Excellent Education, a non-profit organization that focuses on improving educational outcomes for high school students.
A $ 12 billion gap in broadband access
The education group estimates that between $ 7 billion and $ 12 billion would be needed to provide broadband access to millions of children who currently do not have access – a problem that became acute during the pandemic, as almost all schools switched to online teaching. About 17 million children are unable to access remote education because of the so-called “homework gap”, according to a July study by Alliance for Excellent Education, National Indian Education Association, National Urban League and UnidosUS .
The FCC’s grant program is “a major victory for human rights,” said Dayton Young, product director for Fight for the Future, a group that advocates access to the Internet.
But, Young added, this represents “the minimum relief that we should offer to people across America who are struggling with the impact of COVID-19. No one should have to make a decision between buying groceries and paying for Internet access so that your children can attend classes online, and yet that is a decision that countless people have been forced to make in the past year. “
Rosenworcel of the FCC said the program aims to help people who have had to sit in parking lots or outside a public library to catch a wi-fi signal, as well as freeing up family budgets that have been squeezed by the economic impact of the pandemic. An analysis of internet accounts by the Wall Street Journal found that the average bill for independent broadband service was around $ 66 a month.
The FCC program will also include a one-time $ 100 discount on a computer or tablet for eligible homes. The discount on the internet service will be up to US $ 75 per month for those who live in tribal lands.