{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://carson.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-carson-urges-speaker-johnson-prevent-23-million-households-losing-internet", "Rep. Carson urges Speaker Johnson to prevent 23 million households from losing internet access", "2024-04-30", "2024", "2024-04", "Democrat", "House", "IN", "Andr\u00e9 Carson", "C001072", "carson.house.gov", "carson", "https://carson.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 Today, Congressman Andr\u00e9 Carson (IN-07) renewed calls to House Speaker Mike Johnson and his Republican colleagues to take immediate bipartisan action to fund the Affordable Connectivity Program. The Affordable Connectivity Program saves eligible Americans up to $75 a month on their internet bills and provides a one-time discount on a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet. The program expires today, April 30.\n\nAs of this month, 23 million American households are saving $30-$75 a month on their internet bills thanks to the Affordable Connectivity Program, including 425,968 in Indiana \u2013 which amounts to 1 in 6 households in the state. The program was enacted as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021, which Congressman Carson championed as a senior Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Without additional funding from Congress, the Affordable Connectivity Program will cease entirely on April 30, and millions of households across the country could lose crucial internet access.\n\n\u201cHigh-quality, affordable, and high-speed internet access is necessary to succeed in our 21st-century economy,\u201d said Congressman Carson. \u201cThe Affordable Connectivity Program had provided immediate, direct cost-savings to millions of households \u2013 and they deserve this relief to continue. I call on my colleagues to pass the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act to ensure Americans don\u2019t see an increase on their internet bills after three years of a successful, popular program.\u201d\n\nCongressman Carson joined 94 of his New Democrat Coalition colleagues in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson calling on House Republican Leadership to take immediate bipartisan action to fund the Affordable Connectivity Program. The New Democrat Coalition is made up of pragmatic House Democrats who work across the aisle to advance innovative, inclusive, and forward-looking policies. Congressman Carson is also a cosponsor of the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024, which would extend and fund the program for Fiscal Year 2024.\n\nThe letter to Speaker Johnson reads in part:\n\n\u201cAs New Dems, we are committed to fighting to lower everyday costs for Americans; letting the ACP lapse will lead to a direct increase in broadband costs for consumers. We reaffirm our call to House Republicans to deliver for the American people and provide the ACP with the funding it needs without delay.\u201d\n\nYou can read the full letter here, and below:\n\nDear Speaker Johnson,\n\nIn the nearly three years since the establishment of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, millions of American households have received aid from the ACP to access affordable broadband and participate in the 21st century economy. Without the monthly benefit the ACP provides, many Americans will lose access to distance learning, telemedicine, the online marketplace, and the numerous benefits that high-speed internet provides in everyday life.\n\nWe are disappointed that despite the incredible impact on the 23 million households that have enrolled across the country, House Republican Leadership has blocked any consideration of the funding it needs to keep running, pushing us towards the program\u2019s extinction. At a time of rising costs, Republican Leadership refuses to support this critical program that saves communities money. If Congress does not provide additional funding, April is the last month the full ACP benefit will be provided, and, in May, households will see changes in their bill. More than three-quarters of ACP-enrolled households could either experience a disruption or lose access to the internet entirely. We cannot let this happen.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:47:55Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://carson.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-carson-urges-speaker-johnson-prevent-23-million-households-losing-internet"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0782401077449322, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}