04/13/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/13/2021 12:58
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY-18) today introduced a bicameral bill that would increase access to broadband service for low-income urban and rural Americans. The Promoting Access to Broadband Act would help states increase awareness and enrollment in the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Lifeline Program. The Lifeline Program helps low-income households pay for their telephone and broadband service charges by providing a monthly subsidy of $9.25, yet enrollment numbers in the program remain extremely low nationwide.
'The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the importance of expanding high-quality and reliable broadband nationwide. However, cost remains a barrier for too many households, which is why Rep. Maloney and I want to increase enrollment in the FCC's Lifeline Program. Making broadband more affordable helps students complete homework assignments, lets people search for job opportunities, and improves access to health care services,' Durbin said.
'In the age of COVID-19, having access to broadband is more essential than ever for families, small business owners, and students in the Hudson Valley and across New York,' said Maloney. 'The digital divide has never been starker as parents and kids are forced to work and learn from home. Bridging that divide is going to be key to getting our kids and our economy back on track. I'm proud to partner with Senator Durbin to help connect Americans to the FCC's Lifeline program so broadband can be available to everyone - regardless of where you live.'
Along with Durbin and Maloney, the Promoting Access to Broadband Act is also cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Ed Markey (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
A 2019 Pew Research Center survey found that half of all non-broadband users cite cost as a reason that they do not have broadband at home, with 21 percent citing cost as the most important reason they do not have broadband. Despite the availability of this benefit, the projected number of eligible households participating in the FCC's Lifeline program was just 26 percent, and even lower in Illinois (19 percent).
The Promoting Access to Broadband Act would do the following:
The bill is supported by Third Way and Public Knowledge.
Full text of the bill is available here.
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