AssetID: 53646127
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Federal Benefit Helping Low-Income Households Afford Internet Coming to an End
Caption: Federal Benefit Helping Low-Income Households Afford Internet Coming to an End. CNN reports that next month, low-income Americans face a crisis that threatens millions of households with economic distress. The United States government says that it can only pay about half of what it owes on a popular federal benefits program. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announcement represents the first tangible impact of Congress' failure to extend the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The pandemic-era benefit provides monthly discounts on internet service for over 23 million households in the U.S. As a result of dwindling funds, April will be the last month households can receive full benefits. In May, ACP will only be able to provide 46% of the normal benefit payments before ending entirely in June. The end of the program means that millions of people will have to choose between paying for internet, housing and food. According to the FCC, Internet service providers (ISPs) could decide to close the gap for millions of households that will be impacted by the program coming to an end. "We encourage providers to take efforts to keep consumers connected at this critical time.", FCC statement, via CNN. The FCC went on to add that ISPs could offer discounts, low-cost internet plans or take other measures to ensure that service is not interrupted for millions of low-income Americans. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT
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