I found a way to get assistance with my Internet Bills.

Bills are really treacherous for me right now, as I imagine that they are for many of you as well. So I started reaching out to all the places where I have bills to see if the companies have any emergency assistance available for hardship situations.

I reached out to my Internet Provider (who will remain nameless). After spending HOURS on the phone, getting the run around (aka: agents trying to upsell products, having disconnections, and being treated really poorly) i FINALLY got someone who treated me like a human being, and he told me about the Affordable Connectivity Program!

The Affordable Connectivity Program

This is a federal assistance program in the US and it GIVES YOU MONEY TO HELP PAY FOR INTERNET. I want to scream about it here because Enrollments End February 7, 2024 and I didn't even know this program was a Thing!

Apply Before February 7, 2024!

The application is VERY easy. I completed it is a few minutes, and I got accepted the next day. It will take $30 off my internet bill every month.

So, if you are low income in the US, please please *please* check this out!!

"Dozens of people joined Biden administration officials, advocates and U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, a Democrat from Vermont, at a Washington public library on Tuesday to make a last-ditch plea to extend the Affordable Connectivity Program, a subsidy created by Congress and touted by President Joe Biden as part of his push to bring internet access to every U.S. household. The program, which is set to expire at the end of May, helps people with limited means pay their broadband bills.

“They need access to high-speed internet just like they need access to electricity,” Sen. Welch told the gathering. “This is what is required in a modern economy.”"

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The affordable connectivity program (ACP) is out of money, and all signs indicate that we really REALLY need to make some noise about it if we want to hope for a renewal. Head here, do the thing, call your reps:

Something they could do to instantly gain more goodwill from the average american who isn't politically aware ?

Raise the minimum wage

Bring back the Affordable Connectivity Program

Hell, bring some new program in that makes a federal free internet plan that everyone everywhere can connect to for free and if you want better speeds or exclusivity you can shop around other companies like usual

Bridge the gap between WIC and SNAP/EBT/Foodstamps so its not so limited and runs on the same simplified program instead of paper checks that are only good for "x ounces of x food" and increase how much everyone gets each month

make a national standard that makes it easier for people to receive benefits via taking *living expenses* and transportation into account; no more "sorry you make too much to get food stamps" meanwhile 90% of a paycheck is going towards rent and everything else is going to utilites.

Enshrine abortion rights at the federal level

Enshrine queer rights, including healthcare, at the national level

Close Guantanamo bay and release the prisoners with full reparations and medical support

Stop commiting a goddamn fucking genocide and stop interfering with international law from the rest of the civilized world by vetoing every single measure that goes through the UN to stop atrocities

Oh, you say? Democrats won't or "can't" do any of these things? There's only a few weeks before the election? Well they probably should have thought for the past 4 fucking years they've been in office let alone the past year where they've fully embraced genocide and war crimes and have repeatedly stated again and again that they're going to continue to do so in the future if they're elected again??

Judd Legum at Popular Information:

In 2024, reliable access to high-speed internet is no longer a luxury; it is a basic necessity. From job applications to managing personal finances and completing school work, internet access is an essential part of daily life. Without an internet connection, individuals are effectively cut off from basic societal activities. 

But the reality is that many people — particularly those living around the poverty line — can not afford internet access. Without internet access, the difficult task of working your way from the American economy's bottom rung becomes virtually impossible.   On November 21, 2021, President Biden signed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The new law included the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provided up to $30 per month to individuals or families with income up to 200% of the federal poverty line to help pay for high-speed internet. (For a family of four, the poverty line is currently $31,200.) On Tribal lands, where internet access is generally more expensive, the ACP offers subsidies up to $75 per month.  The concept started during the Trump administration. The last budget enacted by Trump included $3.2 billion to help families afford internet access. The FCC made the money available as a subsidy to low-income individuals and families through a program known as the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. The legislation signed by Biden extended and formalized the program.  It has been a smashing success.

Today, the ACP is "helping 23 million households – 1 in 6 households across America." The program has particularly benefited "rural communities, veterans, and older Americans where the lack of affordable, reliable high-speed internet contributes to significant economic, health and other disparities." According to an FCC survey, two-thirds of beneficiaries "reported they had inconsistent internet service or no internet service at all prior to ACP." These households report using their high-speed internet to "schedule or attend healthcare appointments (72%), apply for jobs or complete work (48%), do schoolwork (75% for ACP subscribers 18-24 years old)." Tomorrow, the program will abruptly end.  In October 2023, the White House sent a supplemental budget request to Congress, which included $6 billion to extend the program through the end of 2024. There is also a bipartisan bill, the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act, which would extend the program with $7 billion in funding. The benefits of the program have shown to be far greater than the costs. An academic study published in February 2024 found that "for every dollar spent on the ACP, the nation’s GDP increases by $3.89." The program will lapse tomorrow because Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) refuses to bring either the bill (or the supplemental funding request) to a vote. The Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act has 225 co-sponsors which means that, if Johnson held a vote, it would pass. 

[...]

The Republican attack on affordable internet

Why will Johnson not even allow a vote to extend the ACP? He is not commenting. But there are hints in the federal budget produced by the Republican Study Committee (RSC). The RSC is the "conservative caucus" of the House GOP, and counts 179 of the 217 Republicans in the House as members. Johnson served as the chair of the RSC in 2019 and 2020. He is currently a member of the group's executive committee.  The RSC's latest budget says it "stands against" the ACP and labels it a "government handout[] that disincentivize[s] prosperity." The RSC claims the program is unnecessary because "80 percent" of beneficiaries had internet access before the program went into effect. For that statistic, the RSC cites a report from a right-wing think tank, the Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC), which opposes the ACP. EPIC, in turn, cites an FCC survey to support its contention that 80% of ACP beneficiaries already had internet access. The survey actually found that "over two-thirds of survey respondents (68%) reported they had inconsistent internet service or no internet service at all prior to ACP."

[...] The RSC also falsely claims that funding for the precursor to the ACP, the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB), "was signed into law at the end of President Biden’s first year in office." This is false. Former President Trump signed the funding into law in December 2020. The RSC's position is not popular. A December 2023 poll found that 79% of voters support "continuing the ACP, including 62% of Republicans, 78% of Independents, and 96% of Democrats."

I receive a 30 dollar credit each month off of my bill, and even then my bill is still $50/month. This is really going to hit hard, especially for people who currently receive free WiFi through the program. It's important people have Internet access in their homes, and it's something a lot of people cannot afford to lose right now. While yes public WiFi is an option not everyone has the ability to get themselves around to places that offer it.

Spectrum has a link where you can send an email asking to extend the program here

You can also contact your state representative too. You can use this link to look up who your representative is.