Twenty-three million families will either have to pay more for internet or cancel their subscriptions altogether if a federal subsidy program to help with the monthly bill runs out of money.

President Joe Biden recently traveled to North Carolina to promote his goal of affordable internet access for all Americans, but the promise for 23 million families across the U.S. is on shaky ground.

That’s because a subsidy that helps people with limited resources afford internet access is set to expire this spring.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides $30 a month for qualifying families in most places and $75 on tribal lands, will run out of money by the end of April if Congress doesn’t extend it further.

“I think this should be high priority for Congress,” North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat who has worked with a bipartisan group of governors to promote the program, said in a phone interview. “To many families, $30 a month is a big deal.”

  • Rentlar
    31·
    5 months ago

    I love how Biden gets the blame for the Republican Congress doing next to nothing legislatively, figuratively sitting cross armed on the floor for at least FOUR MONTHS now. Also the Republicans being at the direction of Agent Orange not to pass anything that could make Biden look good. Hooray.

    I’m not impressed with everything that Biden has managed to do during then, but it kind of amazes me that he could accomplish anything at all against this level of wilful obstruction against the US legislative process.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
      33·
      5 months ago

      but it kind of amazes me that he could accomplish anything at all against this level of wilful obstruction against the US legislative process.

      You’re talking about the guy who spent all last primary saying he could negotiate with Republicans…

      He pretty much gives them everything they want the few times he tries to make a deal, like wanting to give a president the power to close borders whenever they feel like. You know eventually a Republican will be president right? Yet Dems get nothing out of that deal, Biden is just giving away something trump dreamed he could do, for precisely zero reasons.

      • Rentlar
        1·
        5 months ago

        He may have a record of being able to negotiate with Republicans in the past, but now he’s dealing with a bunch of stubborn babies, which I don’t know if Biden is cut out for it.