Op-ed: Hoosiers need the federal Affordable Connectivity Program

The great Congressman John Lewis once said, “access to the internet is the civil rights issue of the 21st century.” Many people living in rural areas lack adequate internet access, and the lack of broadband is greater among Black, Hispanic and lower-income households. In today’s age when we use our computers for work, school and entertainment, it’s vital that all Hoosiers have adequate, affordable access to the internet. That’s why it’s extremely disconcerting that Congress let the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) expire on May 1st due to a lack of funding. Bills were introduced to the ACP program but Congress seems disinterested in a renewal of the program. 

For the past couple of years, the ACP and additional funding for broadband internet have worked in tandem to expand fiber and line connectivity. Low-income families have received a stipend of $30 a month to offset the costs of their internet service bills. Nearly half of the military families in the United States are eligible for assistance, along with some seniors, those with disabilities, and children who need the internet for their homework. 

The ACP has helped make the dream of affordable internet a reality. Around 425,000 Hoosiers have come to rely on the program to reduce or eliminate the cost of their monthly internet service bill. Estimates show that one in six Hoosier homes receive assistance through the ACP, but in some regions is as high as one in three. Unless the program is reauthorized there is a real and unfortunate chance that hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers will lose their internet access impacting things like telehealth, small business opportunities, etc.

We can bemoan the loss of this vital funding and hope that the Federal Government will undertake the reauthorization of the program. Due to the vital importance of this program, I am preparing a legislative plan that continues part of this program for our most disadvantaged Hoosiers. We could redirect some of the $700 million dollars Indiana collects in sales tax from utility services. Hoosiers pay a sales tax on all utilities including electric, gas, water, sewer services and telecommunications. 

Redirecting sales tax funding to specific needs is not something new or unprecedented. Over the last couple of years, we’ve redirected extra funding from the gas tax to our roads and infrastructure. We’ve put money towards our physical connections like railways and highways, so we should put funding towards our internet highways as well. Hopefully, Congress will do the right thing and quickly reauthorize the ACP.  If they don’t I intend to make a change at the state level for the half million Hoosiers that depend on this vital and life changing internet program.