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SALT LAKE CITY — More Utahns, particularly in remote places, should soon have access to high-speed internet.
The $1 trillion infrastructure package passed by Congress in 2021 included $14.2 billion in funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program and on Wednesday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced a statewide initiative to increase awareness of the program and help more people access high-speed home internet.
The program provides eligible households with a monthly discount of up to $30 per month — including up to $75 per month for households on qualifying tribal lands — and a one-time, $100 discount toward the purchase of a laptop, desktop computer or tablet.
According to a report from the Federal Communications Commission, approximately 19 million Americans (6% of the population) lack access to fixed broadband service at threshold speeds. In rural areas, nearly ¼ of the population (14.5 million people) lack access.
In tribal areas, the issue of the digital divide is even worse, as nearly ⅓ of the population lacks access.
Utah is certainly no exception.
Over 348,596 Utah households are eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program and only 16% of those eligible have enrolled, according to a release from the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity.
"High-speed internet access is just as essential to our prosperity today as highways were a century ago, but affordability is the No.1 barrier to closing the digital divide," Cox said in a statement. "The Affordable Connectivity Program and the historic investments in closing the digital divide will help thousands of households get online and empower people to build the skills they need to succeed in the 21st-century digital economy."
The initiative, "ACP Act Now: Utah," unites a broad coalition of 53 partner cities, community-based organizations and trusted institutions throughout the state, in partnership with EducationSuperHighway, a national nonprofit with a mission to close the broadband affordability gap.
EducationSuperHighway will support statewide awareness by training community leaders and partner organizations and providing outreach materials and tools to assist households in enrolling. The nonprofit recently launched a website that serves as a virtual mobile assistant that simplifies Affordable Connectivity Program enrollment by providing real-time support to help eligible households determine the easiest way to qualify.
The website is available in four languages and "helps applicants overcome critical barriers in the enrollment process by assisting them in identifying the documents needed when applying and finding free broadband plans available in their area with the (Affordable Connectivity Program) benefit," according to the release.
The Affordable Connectivity Program can bring high-speed home internet to hundreds of thousands of unconnected Utah households. We applaud Gov. Cox's leadership in accelerating the adoption of this valuable program to increase economic opportunity in the state.
–Evan Marwell, CEO of EducationSuperHighway
Additionally, six local organizations and entities have been awarded grant funds to conduct Affordable Connection Program outreach:
- Catholic Community Services of Utah has been awarded $135,140 through the National Competitive Outreach program.
- Salt Lake County has been awarded $169,716 through the Affordable Connectivity Program navigator pilot program.
- Santaquin City Library has been awarded $26,760 through the National Competitive Outreach program.
- Utah Community Action Partnership Association has been awarded $400,000 through the National Competitive Outreach program.
- Utah State University has been awarded $400,000 through the National Competitive Outreach Program and $66,689 through the Tribal Competitive Outreach program.
- Utah Paiute Tribal Housing Authority has been awarded $50,000 through the Affordable Connectivity Program Your Home, Your Internet Pilot program.
"The new initiative will leverage state channels to directly promote the (Affordable Connectivity Program) to households in these programs and unite local governments, community-based organizations, and trusted institutions to reach unconnected households," the release states.
The entire coalition will be able to access resources that help them overcome the complex awareness, trust, and enrollment barriers that so often prevent households in the nation's most under-resourced communities from enrolling.
Affordable Connectivity Program-eligible households include families with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level and those who qualify for Lifeline, SNAP, Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch, WIC and other government-funded programs.
Combined with commitments from internet service providers to deliver high-speed internet plans for no more than $30 per month, eligible households can receive high-speed internet at no cost by pairing their Affordable Connectivity Program benefit with a "free with ACP" broadband plan.
"The Affordable Connectivity Program can bring high-speed home internet to hundreds of thousands of unconnected Utah households," Evan Marwell, CEO of EducationSuperHighway, said in a statement. "We applaud Gov. Cox's leadership in accelerating the adoption of this valuable program to increase economic opportunity in the state."
