Time's almost up for low-income families in Long Beach relying on a federal program for affordable internet as the cash will dry up this spring. The City of Long Beach is lighting a fire under residents to review their internet bills with a looming end to the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) funding. The program could leave nearly 50,000 households holding the bag, with a possible cut-off of their $30 monthly internet discount.
Long Beach city officials are not sitting on their hands, though. They're backing a resolution that could keep the internet lifeline open, according to a press release on the official City of Long Beach website. The resolution supports the bipartisan Affordable Connectivity Extension Act which, if passed, would extend a $7 billion helping hand, keeping millions, including Long Beach, online.
"The City of Long Beach supports legislation and funding that increases households' and businesses' access to low-cost or free high-speed and reliable internet," Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement obtained by the City of Long Beach. To ensure no one's left in the digital dark, Long Beach is priming those on the ACP to toughen up for the blow by checking in with their Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
Meanwhile, in Long Beach, almost three out of every five eligible households ride the internet wave thanks to the ACP. But as the program's dollar dries up, they're staring down the barrel of a disconnected fate without a federal funding extension. With the clock ticking down to April 2024, the city is urging enrolled residents to tighten the hatch, constantly review updates from ISPs, and grab onto the information lifeline provided by community-based organizations and city resources.
Director of Technology and Innovation, Lea Eriksen, spelled it out clearly. "We strongly encourage everyone enrolled in the ACP to contact their Internet Service Provider to review their plan in order to avoid bill shock if and when the funds run out," she said, as recorded by the City of Long Beach. While the sands of the internet hourglass slip away, the city reassures its residents that they can still hook up to the web at Long Beach Public Library locations and some parks for zero dollars.
Officials are spreading the word through social media, city newsletters, and a Digital Inclusion Resource Hotline. For those internet surfers facing a potential wipeout, the information is just a few clicks away at Long Beach's Digital Inclusion Initiative and Roadmap website.
