Rep. Susan Wild Calls for Extended Funding for the Affordable Connectivity Programs, Announces Support for Discharge Petition

Yesterday, Congresswoman Wild joined Pennsylvania Reps. Evans and Scanlon and Julia Brinjac from the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority to discuss the importance of extending funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Rep. Wild also announced her support of the discharge petition that will force a vote on the ACP Extension Act.

"Across the Greater Lehigh Valley, I've heard from constituents in urban and rural communities about the detrimental impact that slow, spotty, or non-existent internet connection has on them and their families," said Rep. Wild. "Despite roadblocks set up by House leadership, I will continue to use every tool at my disposal to protect funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program for all of my constituents who depend on it."

The Affordable Connectivity Program is vital for families across Pennsylvania, and has helped them save $22.2 million per month on their internet bills. One-in-seven Pennsylvania households, approximately 760,000, rely on this program for internet access.

Read more coverage highlights below:

April 17, 2024 | By Tom Shortell

• In a bid to save a popular program that helps low-income families access high-speed internet, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild said she is backing a rarely successful parliamentary procedure in a bid to cut through the chronic gridlock plaguing Congress.
• More than 22.2 million American households are enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program, which helps low-income families pay for high-speed internet.
• Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, and fellow Pennsylvania Democratic U.S. Reps. Dwight Evans and Mary Gay Scanlon said in a remote news conference Wednesday that the program has proven to be a success. Qualifying households have received up to $75 a month to help them apply for jobs, work remotely, attend telehealth appointments and complete school work.
• In Wild's district, which includes all of Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties plus a sliver of Monroe County, 42,518 households have enrolled in the program and received $23.6 million of support, according to the FCC website.
• "We are living in a digital age. Having internet access is no longer a luxury. You need it as much as electricity and plumbing," Wild said.

April 17, 2024 | By Kris Mamula

• Advocates for extending an internet subscriber subsidy for needy households will press for a vote on federal legislation that would extend the program, which otherwise expires in two weeks.
• U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, from Allentown, said the House maneuver was not often used to bring a bill to the floor.
• "We've got to make the case why this is so incredibly important," she said during a press briefing Wednesday. "We may see a renewed interest in the use of discharge petitions because it's the only way to get things done."
• Some 23 million households in the U.S. use the subsidy, which includes more than 1-in-7 Pennsylvania households for a total exceeding 760,000 subscribers in the state, according to the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority.