Poor Americans Can Now Enjoy Cheaper Internet

It looks like the poorer folks in America will now be able to enjoy a tech-related break amidst all of the doom and gloom – Federal regulators have approved an expansion of subsidies for the poor, which would for the very first time, mark a set of discounts concerning phone service which will also encompass home Internet access.

In the 3-2 vote by the Federal Communications Commission, this would mean the approximately 40 million Americans who are on food stamps, Medicaid or other federal assistance, will be able to register for and utilize a benefit that is worth $9.25 each month in order to purchase broadband service, and this will be done either as part of a voice bundle on cellular or fixed networks, or one also has the option to pick it as a standalone basis without having the need to have an attached voice plan.

It is certainly good news, as many people these days happen to search for jobs online via the Internet, as well as take up self improvement courses or educational programmes online, and the lack of a decent and affordable Internet connection for the poor would marginalize them even further in terms of equal opportunities. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler shared, “It’s a simple concept: to provide assistance so that low-income Americans can access the dominant communications network of the day.”

Edwin Kee
Categories: Computers
Tags: internet