Hoyer Visits St. Mary’s County to Highlight Democrats’ Work to Close the Digital Divide and Continue Funding the Affordable Connectivity Program
The ACP has provided benefits to 21,036 households in Maryland's Fifth District – creating savings of up to $30 a month for low-income households, and up to $75 a month for households on qualifying tribal lands. St. Mary’s County Government also recently announced that 4,500 Chromebooks were awarded to low-income households through the Maryland Connected Devices Program (MD-CDP), which was created through American Rescue Plan funding.
“The Affordable Connectivity Program has transformed St. Mary’s County and communities across the country,” said Congressman Hoyer. “Education, health care, and our economy rely on America’s workers, students, seniors, and families being connected to the internet. I remain committed to narrowing the digital divide, lowering internet costs, and ensuring everyone in Maryland’s Fifth District has access to internet-capable devices. As part of my Investing in America Week of Action tour across the Fifth District, I heard directly from constituents about the monumental impact this program is having in our community. I continue to urge my Republican colleagues in Congress to work with us in passing President Biden’s domestic supplemental request which includes funding for the popular and effective Affordable Connectivity Program.”
“The Commissioners and St. Mary's County Government are grateful to our partners at the Federal and State level, and throughout our community, for their continued support and work toward ensuring broadband access for all our residents. Our shared commitment to addressing the digital divide has resulted in 98% overall connectivity in St. Mary’s County and provided 4,500 eligible residents with laptops to increase equitable access,” said St. Mary’s County Commissioner Eric Colvin.
“For many, if not most, it was their first encounter with a computer,” said Colonel John Lombardi, Maryland Veterans Home Program Director. “For others like Mr. Bump, a 98-year-old World War II veteran, realized he could listen to music on [his Chromebook] and takes full advantage of that daily.”
“In March when COVID restricted everyone to their homes our family was greatly impacted due to the lack of high-speed internet,” said one St. Mary’s County resident. “My high school student had to go to a friend’s house in order to keep up with her studies and attend her classes. I had to rely on a hot spot that struggled to keep up with my day-to-day work responsibilities. I was not able to keep a connection while attending [Microsoft] Teams meetings and found myself having to travel to the local church parking lot to get connectivity. Receiving our high-speed internet in November was a lifesaver, as my employer now has us working from home on a full-time basis. I don't know what I (we) would have done without the efforts of our government.”
“As a result of St. Mary's County's support, I was able to have access to high-speed internet in my rurally located newly constructed home,” said another St. Mary’s County resident. “Because we were not part of an existing neighborhood, the expense was much too high for me to encumber as a single mom on a teacher's salary. My daughter was able to participate in online learning due to this installation.”
More about the Affordable Connectivity Program:
The ACP was created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and implemented by the Federal Communications Commission. The $14.2 billion from the BIL for the ACP successfully supplemented the monthly cost of internet for over 23 million qualifying households. The FCC recently announced it will officially end the program at the end of April due to lack of funding, resulting in increases in participating households’ monthly bills. It is estimated that approximately $7 billion is needed to continue the program. The House Republican Majority has failed to act on the domestic supplemental request submitted to Congress by President Biden last fall, which included funding to keep the ACP program active.
