Senate Resolution No. 1684
BY: Senator PARKER
URGING the United States Congress to support the
extension of funding for the Affordable Connectivity
Program (ACP) of 2021 which provides our citizens
with access to broadband services
WHEREAS, In 2022, the New York State Legislature outlined the
principles for the development of broadband, also articulated by Working
to Implement Reliable and Equitable Deployment of Broadband Act (WIRED
Broadband Act); and
WHEREAS, The Act was created to promote and encourage broadband
adoption for households in an effort to transform New York State's
digital infrastructure so all residents and businesses have access to
high-speed, reliable, and affordable internet for education, economic
growth, and full participation in civic life; and
WHEREAS, In 2021, as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act's historic investment in broadband
infrastructure and digital equity, Congress appropriated more than
fourteen billion dollars for the ACP; and
WHEREAS, Congress assigned the Federal Communications Commission to
administer the ACP, the successor program to the Emergency Broadband
Benefit, which helped almost nine million households afford internet
access during the pandemic; and
WHEREAS, Under the ACP, eligible households can receive up to thirty
dollars per month discount toward internet services and up to
seventy-five dollars per month for households on qualifying tribal
lands; and
WHEREAS, Eligible households may also receive a one-time discount of
up to one hundred dollars to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or
tablet from participating providers; and
WHEREAS, Currently, there are more than two million eligible
households within the state that may qualify for the ACP and over one
million households that have enrolled; and
WHEREAS, Based on current take rates, the more than fourteen billion
dollars in funding appropriated for the ACP program could be exhausted
in late 2023 or early 2024; and
WHEREAS, The ACP has been a critical tool in helping bridge the
"digital divide" that exists between those who have access to modern
information and communications technology and those who do not; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body does hereby urge and request
each member of the New York Congressional Delegation to support
continued funding of the ACP so that low-income New York households can
continue to receive the support they need to participate in the digital
marketplace; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the presiding officers of the Senate and the House of
Representatives of the Congress of the United States of America; and to
each member of the New York Congressional Delegation.
