FCC internet subsidy: Millions of households could get $50 monthly payment By Aimee Picchi A Shot of Hope : Returning to school & work
Millions of low-income households and people who suffered job losses in the past year could soon receive a $50 monthly subsidy to help pay for their internet bills. The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved a $3.2 billion plan to provide the aid to help more households afford internet access during the pandemic.
The program will be open to households that already participate in a pandemic or low-income relief program offered by a broadband service, as well as people already enrolled in the FCC s Lifeline program for low-income people, and households with children receiving free or reduced-price school meals. Additionally, the program will be open to people who have lost jobs and had their income reduced in the past year, the agency said.
Photo: Rick Diamond (Getty Images)
Last week, 90-year-old Aaron Epstein took out a quarter-page ad in the Wall Street Journal hoping to convince AT&T to upgrade his slow-as-molasses DSL internet to fiber. It allegedly cost Epstein $10,000 to take out that ad, but apparently it worked. The North Hollywood, Calif., resident is getting ultra-fast speeds today, and we love that for him.
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According to Ars Technica, after Epstein’s story went viral and landed him interviews with TV networks and a brief mention on on
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, AT&T showed up to his house this week and installed fiber internet for him and his wife, Anne. The couple now gets over 300 Mbps speeds instead of the 3 Mbps they were getting before.
MCNC answers call for action on digital equity in North Carolina
Lack of high-speed Internet and technology for many in North Carolina, particularly in rural areas, has deep social and economic consequences; MCNC wants to connect with others who seek to make digital equity and inclusion a reality for the entire state
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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Feb. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ MCNC, the technology non-profit that builds, owns, and operates the statewide North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), today reaffirmed its commitment to digital equity in North Carolina – offering recommendations, support, technology and more, as well as issuing a call to action to connect with others who also want to achieve this important goal.