Public Internet access under attack.

The fund that pays out for millions of people to have internet access when normally they cant afford it is running out of money. The bill to reinstate the funding has bi-partisan support yet our Speaker wont allow it to come to vote. familiar refrain huh? I was "surfing the web" the other night as I'm prone to do on occasion and came across this story.  https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/29/tech/broadband-affordability-acp-rural-older-americans/index.html . The ACP or accessible connectivity program allows millions of people to connect to the internet who would not be able to by providing much needed funds to pay the bill. I read the article and several similar articles that seem to highlight a specific segment of the population at risk. numbers as high as one in five Americans benefit from this program. Why?...the Internet is a luxury.., they don't need it..Well 20 years ago I would agree. This is 2024, our entire society is now Internet based. If you had told me 25 years ago that very few people would have land line telephone service now , I would have scoffed but its difficult to find anyone without a cell phone. One benefit from Covid was the rushed adaptation to technology. When my daughter was born with special needs , a trip to "the big city" (about 60 miles away) was a monthly if not weekly event to see specialists. Now she sits at the dining room table with her laptop over the Internet talking to these same doctors who saved her life years ago. Universities offer classes online. I am working towards a master's degree over the Internet because of the distance to the University. School programs at major Universities are online. they wouldn't be possible without the Internet. The elderly have used the internet to keep in touch and keep up to date with their families around the world. they also use it for doctor's visit when no transportation is available. Facetime and other similar programs allow these people to stay in touch and stay active as their mobility decreases instead of staying home alone and sometimes forgotten. 

         The federal government has made literally dozens of promises to our indigenous peoples. between 30 and 40 percent of these its been estimated don't even have running water.

 

Now it seems that we are going backwards in yet another aspect. The Internet access being limited those who can afford it and limiting access to those who really need it. 

Update: As expected the republicans let the funding lapse.