NORFOLK, Va. — With constant access to smartphones, computers, and hotspots, sometimes we take for granted how connected we are.
Often, it’s not until a server goes down, or a device runs out of data, that we realize how much we rely on the internet.
Yet, millions of people could be in jeopardy of losing access.
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Since 2021, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has provided a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying tribal lands.
The program was started in 2021 during the pandemic to help low-income families pay for internet service.
Congress announced earlier this year that the program is expiring in April.
Shai Riddick, a single mom from Virginia Beach, says her family will be affected.
“I feel like cutting this program off, it's going to trickle down on a lot of families and households. They have to figure out [the] money, [and] figure out the budgeting, or if it's something that they can actually live without,” she says.
She tells me she can't live without home internet because it’s vital for her daughter’s education — without broadband access, her daughter wouldn't be able to complete her homework and school projects.
“Now, if I don't have that assistance or if I have to pay out of pocket, you're cutting into one bill," she says. "Having to travel to a library or family or friend's house, just so she can, you know, do the things that she needs to do for schoolwork [will be an inconvenience]."
I crunched the numbers and here's what I found, according to the White House:
- In Virginia, 468,219 people are enrolled in the program. That's about one in seven families.
- In North Carolina, 898,492 people are enrolled in the program. That's about one in five families.
Some more detailed stats on Virginia households enrolled in the ACP, according to the White House, are below:
Norfolk councilwoman Andria McClellan is one of the many voices joining the fight to keep connectivity.
“It’s going to send shockwaves through the community in ways that I don't think the federal government understands,” she says.
In addition to needing the internet to further education for students, McClellan shared how it will impact medical services as well.
“People have become accustomed to utilizing [Wi-Fi from their homes] for telehealth — for telemental health. That potentially goes away when people don't have broadband that they can afford,” she says.
McClellan serves on the Southside Network Authority (SNA), an organization working to make broadband more accessible.
According to SNA, in 2018, the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) endorsed the construction of a regional fiber network that will connect to the subsea transatlantic cables that have come ashore in Virginia Beach and spread this ultrafast fiber network throughout the region.
“But for communities like Norfolk and Portsmouth, urban communities where we have a pretty significant area of poverty, connectivity is about affordability,” she says.
And while the federal government is discussing possible changes, McClellan says “we need to be talking at a regional level about how we're going to address that.”
President Biden is requesting $6 billion to extend the program until December.
Whether or not the program is extended, it will impact Riddick and the people she serves while working at ForKids.
ForKids is a Chesapeake nonprofit that helps families fighting homelessness and housing issues.
Intake specialists like Riddick link callers with local resources and answer questions. Riddick says she hears the need every day and is now using her voice to reach Congress.
“I just feel like something needs to be done, you know?” she says. “We are trying to maintain and [manage but], it gets hard,” she says.
Riddick adds, “you make too much to not get the assistance, but you don't make enough to get the assistance. You’re in a hard spot.”
Riddick tells me if the ACP ends, she'll be forced to cut costs somewhere else in her budget.
As for other resources you can lean on, I reached out to all of the seven cities. So far, I've only heard from Norfolk, who tells me that hotspots are available at libraries and schools.
You can also reach out to nonprofits. ForKids is a great nonprofit to start with as their employees can connect you with local resources.
Nationally, EducationSuperHighway provides advocacy to connect families and public schools with high-speed internet.
Lifeline is also a federal program that offers discounts, but their guidelines are a lot stricter than the Affordable Connectivity Program.
