Congresswoman Stansbury Attends White House Event with the President and Vice President Announcing Broadband Expansion

Press Release

Today, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) attended a White House event in the Rose Garden at which the President announced an unprecedented effort to expand access to affordable, high-speed internet for millions of Americans through the Affordable Connectivity Program.

Photos: Congresswoman Stansbury attends White House announcement on affordable, high-speed internet

"Far too many families and communities across New Mexico still face significant barriers to accessing high-speed internet," said Rep. Stansbury. "The resources and commitments announced today by the President and Vice President, alongside investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help deliver broadband and high speed internet access to families across New Mexico--which we know is vital to supporting local businesses, helping our kids learn, and keeping our communities connected."

BACKGROUND: The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is the largest high-speed internet affordability program in our nation's history. Under the terms of the ACP, eligible households that sign up for the program will receive a discount of up to $30/month on any internet service plan a participating provider offers. Households on Tribal lands are eligible for a discount of up to $75/month. As of now, over 1,300 internet service providers participate in the program, and more than 11.5 million households have signed up to receive the ACP benefit. Newly-announced efforts to expand access to high-speed internet for households eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program include:

The launch of GetInternet.gov. A website with details on how Americans can sign up for ACP and find participating internet providers in their area.
Partnerships with states and cities. Participating cities and states will join the Biden administration to spread the word about the program to millions of eligible households.
Outreach to eligible households through federal agencies. Agencies responsible for the management of programs including Pell Grants, Medicaid, and Supplemental Security Income will coordinate efforts to reach out to households that qualify for ACP through the programs they administer.
Collaboration with public interest organizations. Public interest organizations will train their national networks to conduct direct enrollment and outreach.

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