FCC Internet Grant: Millions of Households Could Receive $ 50 Monthly Payment

Millions of low-income households and people who have suffered job losses in the past year may soon receive a monthly grant of $ 50 to help pay their Internet bills. The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved a $ 3.2 billion plan to provide assistance to help more households access the internet during the pandemic.

The program will be open to households that are already participating in a pandemic or low-income relief program offered by a broadband service, as well as those already enrolled in the FCC’s Lifeline program for low-income individuals and to households with children receiving free of charge or – the price of school meals. In addition, the program will be open to people who have lost their jobs and whose incomes have been reduced in the past year, the agency said.

Jessica Rosenworcel, the acting president of the FCC, said in a statement that the program will be open to eligible households within the next 60 days.

The program’s eligibility guidelines could also open the program to the 117 million households that have lost employment income since March 13, when the pandemic put an end to the economy, recent US Census data shows. . It is likely that some of these households experienced reduced hours without losing their jobs.

Experts say the potential pool of eligible families could quickly exceed funding for the program. Once the $ 3.2 billion is used up, the program will end, according to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, a group that advocates broadband access.

“There are two things to know about this program: first, it is very well put together, and second, it is definitely not enough,” said Phillip Lovell, vice president of policy development and development. government relations for Alliance for Excellent Education, a non-profit organization. which focuses on improving the academic performance of high school students.

A $ 12 billion broadband access gap

The education group estimates that it would take between $ 7 billion and $ 12 billion to provide broadband access to the millions of children who currently do not have access to it – a problem that has become acute during the pandemic, as nearly all schools have switched to online education. According to a July study by the Alliance for Excellent Education, the National Indian Education Association, the National Urban League and UnidosUS, approximately 17 million children cannot connect to distance education due to the so-called “lack of homework”.

The FCC’s grant program is “a great victory for human rights,” said Dayton Young, product director at Fight for the Future, a group that advocates Internet access.

But, Young added, this is “the bare minimum of relief we should be offering people across America battling the impact of COVID-19. No one should have to make a decision between buying groceries. and pay for Internet access so their kids can take online classes, and yet it’s a decision countless people have been forced to make over the past year. “

Rosenworcel of the FCC said the program aims to help people who have had to sit in parking lots or outside a public library to pick up a wifi signal, as well as free up household budgets that have been pressed by the economic impact of the pandemic. An analysis of Internet bills by the Wall Street Journal found that the average bill for a stand-alone broadband service was around $ 66 per month.

The FCC program will also include a one-time rebate of $ 100 on a computer or tablet for eligible households. The discount on Internet service will reach $ 75 per month for those living on tribal lands.