White House: 66,000 Iowa households enrolled in discount program for high-speed Internet, more wanted
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About 66,000 Iowa households have signed up for discounts on high-speed Internet service since a federal program was launched in May, according to figures a White House spokesperson shared with the Des Moines Register this week.
The release came as Vice President Kamala Harris plans to urge more residents to sign up for the program during a visit to North Carolina on Thursday, the spokesperson said. Harris also sent Gov. Kim Reynolds and leaders in other states a letter urging them to promote the program, which allows some residents to receive a $30-a-month break on high-speed Internet, and in some cases, free service.
"Please help lower costs for more families by spreading the word in your state and by entering data-matching agreements to drive enrollment," Harris wrote.
Part of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that President Joe Biden signed in November, the American Connectivity Program gives a $30 discount on monthly Internet bills to eligible families — those earning no more than 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, or $46,060 for a family of three. The threshold means about 164,000 families in Iowa are eligible, based on U.S. Census data.
More: Here's what to know about how new high-speed internet programs affect Iowans
Some rural Iowa households may not be able to take advantage of the program because they are in areas that don't have access high-speed Internet. For example, only 6% of homes in northwest Iowa's Ida County have access, according to Broadband Now.
In addition to the discount, some Internet providers agreed this year to create a new plan to offer eligible families high-speed Internet for $30 a month — effectively providing free service to those enrolled in the program.
Since mid-May, the last time the White House aggressively pushed the program with news releases, about 7,000 households in Iowa have registered. The latest data suggests Iowans are signing up less frequently than some in other states.
The number of Iowa households that registered for the program ranks 36th in the country. But the number of families at 200% of the poverty level in Iowa — suggesting the number of houses eligible for the program — ranks 32nd in the country, according to the Census Bureau.
Eligible families can sign up for the discount at GetInternet.gov.
Internet plans participating in the program offer download speeds of 100 megabits per second.
The Federal Communications Commission currently defines high-speed Internet as services with download speeds of 25 megabits per second. But FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel filed a notice of inquiry last week, alerting the public that the agency is considering upping its definition to the 100 megabits per second standard.
"The needs of internet users long ago surpassed the FCC’s (current) speed metric, especially during a global health pandemic that moved so much of life online," Rosenworcel said in a statement.
Tyler Jett covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at tjett@registermedia.com, 515-284-8215, or on Twitter at @LetsJett.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: In Iowa, 66,000 households getting Internet discount, White House says
