{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://riggleman.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-denver-riggleman-co-sponsors-bill-help-expand-phone-and-internet", "Congressman Denver Riggleman Co-sponsors Bill to Help Expand Phone and Internet Access to the Fifth District", "2020-10-01", "2020", "2020-10", "Republican", "House", "VA", "Denver Riggleman", "R000611", "riggleman.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. -- This week, Congressman Denver Riggleman co-sponsored the Ensuring Phone and Internet Access for SNAP Recipients Act of 2020, which was introduced by Democratic Congresswoman Elaine Luria (VA-02). This bill would help households that benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to receive assistance in covering phone and internet bills through the FCC Lifeline Program. This bill is part of Congressman Riggleman's commitment to expanding internet access across Virginia, and providing support to American families during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\t\t\t\t\"I am proud to sponsor the Ensuring Phone and Internet Access for SNAP Recipients Act of 2020 which would improve the FCC Lifeline Program and help more Americans get internet access,\"said Congressman Denver Riggleman. Closing the digital divide has been one of my priorities during my time in Congress and this bill will go a long way in closing that divide and providing lifechanging internet access for many Americans.\"\n\t\t\t\t\"During the COVID-19 pandemic, reliable internet access is no longer a luxury, but a crucial piece of infrastructure that people depend on for their jobs and students use to learn,\"said Congresswoman Luria (VA-02).\"I am pleased to lead this bipartisan bill, which will help the FCC better target its efforts to expand internet access to families throughout Coastal Virginia and our nation. By making reliable internet more accessible, we can open new work and educational opportunities.\"\n\t\t\t\t\"Two major issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic remain food insecurity and the digital divide. By law, Virginia SNAP recipients are eligible for reliable access to phone and internet service through the FCC's lifeline program  but just a fraction of those eligible are enrolled,\"said Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (VA-07).\"I'm proud to help introduce theEnsuring Phone and Internet Access for SNAP Recipients Actto fix this longstanding issue, and I'd like to thank my fellow Virginian Congresswoman Luria for her leadership in introducing this bill.\"\n\t\t\t\tThe Lifeline Program expands access to phone and broadband services to qualifying low-income consumers. SNAP recipients automatically qualify for this program, but according to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), only 15 percent of eligible Virginian households participated in the Lifeline Program.\n\t\t\t\tThe Ensuring Phone and Internet Access for SNAP Recipients Act of 2020 would require the FCC and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to survey SNAP recipients to learn if they are enrolled in the Lifeline Program. If SNAP recipients are not enrolled in this program, the survey would ask if they would participate in the Lifeline Program in order to receive benefits. This survey will present a five-year projection on enrollment and willcreate a blueprint for how theFCC can improve its Lifeline Program's outreach efforts to better expand access to phone and internet utilities.\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\t\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://riggleman.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-denver-riggleman-co-sponsors-bill-help-expand-phone-and-internet"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4981846325099468, "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"}