Keep funds for program to help seniors afford internet access | Opinion
For Florida seniors, high-speed internet can provide opportunities to connect with family and friends, see doctors remotely, stream entertainment and shop for necessities. These aren’t just luxuries; they are meaningful practices that can greatly improve seniors’ quality of life. But many seniors live on a fixed income and for some, high-speed internet service can seem out of reach.
Fortunately, there is a program that can help. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a partnership between the federal government and private service providers, is expanding access to low-cost or even free high-speed internet to eligible Florida seniors. Through this program, older adults who otherwise would not be able to afford internet service now have a way to access important programs and technologies that can improve their mental and physical health.
However, without action from Congress, funding for this program will be exhausted sometime next year, leaving millions of seniors disconnected. In a world that is increasingly online, ensuring seniors continue to have access to internet service is too important to let this program lapse due to a lack of funding.
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Here’s how the program works: the ACP provides a $30 monthly benefit for internet service, and companies like AT&T offer low-cost programs to those who qualify for the benefit, making the service free.
Seniors can qualify for the program based either on income or participation in other federal assistance programs. Applying and signing up for service is easy. Simply visit getinternet.gov or call the ACP Support Center at 877-384-2575.
Today, more than 1.4 million Florida households have signed up for the ACP, and nearly half of those are adults aged 50+. But many more seniors could be receiving the benefit, as there are more than 2 million additional households in Florida that qualify but are not yet signed up for the program.
As one of Florida’s eleven Aging and Disability Resource Centers, Advantage Aging Solutions is committed to addressing the needs and concerns of older adults. Our dedicated professionals work tirelessly to connect seniors to services and programs aimed at improving their health and overall well-being. A central component toward achieving that goal is reducing social isolation, which is why our agency offers numerous technologies to help seniors stay connected. But these essential services cannot be accessed without the internet.
If Congress fails to allocate additional funds to keep this program available, nearly 700,000 Florida seniors will be faced with the difficulty of finding a way to pay their internet bill, as they continue to grapple with rising costs across the board due to persisting inflation.
We need to prioritize funding for the ACP to ensure Florida seniors can remain connected. We simply can’t let them be left behind in our digital world.
Lisa L. Bretz, MSW, is the executive director of Advantage Aging Solutions(AAS) in Tallahassee.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Congress must support internet access funding for senior citizens
