AURN News with Ebony McMorris

Affordable Connectivity Program Ends, Leaving 23 Million Low-Income Households at Risk of Losing Internet Access

In just over two years, the program has been a digital lifeline for 23 million households with a notable impact on military families and communities of color.

Ebony McMorris
May 1, 2024

President Joe Biden speaks in Raleigh, N.C., Jan. 18, 2024. The White House is pressing Congress to extend a subsidy program that helps one in six families afford internet and represents a key element of Biden's promise to deliver reliable broadband service to every American household. "For President Biden. internet is like water," said Tom Perez, senior adviser and assistant to the president, on a call with reporters. "It's an essential public necessity that should be affordable and accessible to everyone." (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

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Today marks the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program, and Congress has yet to intervene. The critical federal initiative launched to support low-income Americans offers significant monthly discounts on high-speed internet — $30 for most and $75 in tribal areas. In just over two years, it’s been a digital lifeline for 23 million households with a notable impact on military families and communities of color.

Black households, in particular, have relied heavily on these subsidies for access to essential services such as homework support, virtual health care, and employment training. These benefits extend through various community and national programs like Connected Nation, which have been instrumental in promoting digital literacy and connectivity, especially in underserved rural areas.

With the program’s closure, these communities stand at a precipice, potentially facing higher costs that could force tough choices between internet access and basic needs.

Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris is a native Washingtonian and University of South Carolina alumna. Her passion is mentoring young adults by teaching community empowerment and media education. She is an NAB member and board member of the Thurgood Marshall Center and was presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than 4,000 hours of community service under the Obama Administration.