Summary
June 4, 2024
The Honorable Alex Padilla
United States Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Laphonza Butler
United States Senate
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
RE: Marin County Support for Affordable Connectivity Program Legislation (S. 4317)
Dear Senators Padilla and Butler:
On behalf of the residents of Marin County, I am writing to express our support for continued funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program. As such, the County strongly supports the bipartisan legislation (S. 4317), introduced by Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, to provide additional funding for this vital program.
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) was created as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and provides low-income households a discount of up to $30 per month for internet service and up to $75 per month on qualifying Tribal lands or high-cost locations, making internet service affordable for all – and in many cases, entirely free. Marin County has served on the front lines of our community’s effort to close the digital divide – forging partnerships, funding networks, and supporting community engagement efforts to drive deployment and adoption of high-speed internet in unserved and underserved communities. The ACP is a vital tool in achieving these efforts.
Every day, over 2.8 million households in California have relied on ACP subsidies and discounts to afford critical broadband internet service – and over 4,500 in Marin County alone. However, on June 1st, the more than 2.8 million enrolled households stopped receiving benefits from this program as the initial federal funding appropriated to the ACP ran out. We are therefore urging Congress to pass the bipartisan bill currently pending in the Senate (S. 4317), as it would provide an additional $6 billion for the ACP to restart and continue benefits.
We know the tremendous importance of continuing this program which provides direct financial assistance to obtain internet service, since residents in low-income housing in Marin have cited cost as the primary reason why they do not have broadband at home. Furthermore, Marin residents face higher costs than elsewhere for internet access. Internet-only service in Marin is on average 5% more than the $70/month national average, and residents in rural West Marin can pay up to $170. By no longer funding ACP, many residents, especially those in areas of Marin where there is only one service provider option, will no longer be able to afford high-speed internet.
Marin County strongly supports the continued federal funding of the ACP as it has proven to be a vital tool for our residents, as we strongly support S. 4317.
Sincerely,
Dennis Rodoni, President
Marin County Board of Supervisors
Cc: Congressman Jared Huffman
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