Tens of millions of Americans are set to get cheap access to the internet after 20 internet companies said they would sign on to a Biden administration initiative. The Affordable Connectivity Program was part of last year’s $1 trillion infrastructure package, and AP says that owing to the providers coming on board, “some 48 million households will be eligible for $30 monthly subsidies for 100 megabits per second, or higher speed, service,” the cost of which the government will fully subsidize. The subsidy will rise to $75 in tribal areas. Biden made the expansion of high-speed internet a key campaign pledge and last month told teachers: “If we didn’t know it before, we know now: High-speed internet is essential.” Households will be eligible if their income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or if a family member is on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or receives Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA) or Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit.
