#internet access

Good news if you have a low income and a high internet bill: The Biden Administration is changing that.

The Affordable Connectivity Program will provide plans of at least 100 Megabits per second of speed for no more than $30. An estimated 48 million Americans will qualify.

Twenty internet providers, including national companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, as well as regional companies, such as Hawaiian Telecom and Jackson Energy Authority in Tennessee, have committed to the program.

Update: The program also gives eligible families a $30 monthly benefit they can apply to their bill. It can be one of the $30 plans at the 20 participating providers (bringing the bill to $0!) or used against the bill at 1,000+ other providers.

To see if you qualify, and for full details, go to:

Check out this week's edition of three positive news stories you might have missed! (All links included below!)

🩺⚡💧Major progress in access to basic needs like water, healthcare, and electricity

Since 2015, the world has seen some extraordinary improvements across the board:

Nearly one billion people gained access to safe drinking water and 1.2 billion to improved sanitation, which includes sanitation facilities that aren’t shared with other households and that safely dispose of waste

New HIV infections declined by 30% and AIDS-related deaths by 35%

92% of the world’s population now has basic access to electricity

Internet access has rapidly increased from 40% to 74%

For the first time in history, more than half of the world’s population now has access to social protection, which comprises of policies and programs that aim to reduce poverty and inequality

(+ some more major gains under the article's "Progress" section of its "Additional key facts and figures"!)

☀️♻️ The Philippines leads the world in solar energy as it becomes the world's largest purchaser of solar panels

In response to rising fuel prices due to the war on Iran, people in the Philippines flocked to install rooftop solar to stave off rising power bills. This shift has resulted in $407 million in panel imports from March to May, a 145% increase from a year earlier!

🌲🌳❤️‍🩹 Reviving Northeast US forests made a remarkable recovery after centuries of deforestation

When European colonists arrived in North America, entire New England forests were cleared and leveled for agriculture, cities, and resources — by 1850, the region was roughly 80% deforested, in some places 90% and 100%. But, something remarkable has happened — long after its old growth forests had been deforested, the northeast witnessed the revival of lush “second-growth” forests as nature reclaimed abandoned farmland.

Hope you enjoyed this week's dose of good news! 🩵