On April 30, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) began the process of shutting down after Congress failed to act to save its funding.
In 2021, UCC Media Justice teamed up with our civil rights allies to successfully persuade Congress to adopt this program, offering low-income households $30 per month off a mobile or home broadband internet service bill (up to $75 per month for households on tribal lands). The federal funds go directly to the service provider to cover the discount.
But with funding for the program officially in jeopardy, 1 in 6 households across America will be forced to make an impossible choice whether or not to keep their internet connection and forgo other purchases or go without.
Rev. Kelli Parrish Lucas, Pastor of First Congregational Church in Rock Spring, Wyoming, offered the prayer for families impacted by the end of this essential program this past Sunday:
We live in an interconnected world. We are tied together not just by humanity but by technology. We learned how this was so during the pandemic. It is a simple fact of life that we rely on the internet as much as we do power or running water. We have learned that this is creating what is now called “the digital divide” in the world between those who have and those who have not. It is a divide that exists throughout the world and has been acknowledged as a barrier to human development throughout the world by the World Council of Churches and the UCC Synod.
This week a federal benefit called the Affordable Connectivity Program that helped poor people connect to the internet expired because Congress did not vote to expend it. This means that for many people on Social Security or Disability, their phone bill or internet bill will go up; many have said they will be cut off from communication because of the cost. We have made it not harder but impossible, once again, for the poor to live, given that many benefit programs have to be applied for online and that those in need of services are now priced out of being able to do that. The UCC, through its Media Justice Office, has been one of the groups lobbying Congress to keep this funding so that all people can access education, communication, and telehealth services.
Let us pray: Christ, you taught us to help those who are poor, to reach out to those who are struggling, and bring them along so that all your children might be part of the human community. Forgive our leaders when they fail to do what is right, forgive us for not making enough noise that our leaders might understand the needs of people at this time. Be with the people of your church as we continue to advocate and speak up. Let us always be a voice for those who have not been heard. Amen.
Let this stirring prayer be our call to action to continue pressing Congress for action on this program that has helped millions of Americans connect to education, health care, worship, and so much more. If you haven’t already, please join us in calling on your members of Congress to save the ACP.