As executive director of Educate Maine, a business-led education organization focused on championing career readiness by increasing the education attainment of Maine people, I am committed to encouraging continued federal investment in an essential program to support Maine learners and workers statewide.
It’s no secret that high-speed internet has become an invaluable resource in today’s world, especially over the last few years as so many industries have increased their reliance on remote services. What is lesser known, though, is that a critical federal program that has been monumental in getting Americans online — the Affordable Connectivity Program — is set to run out of funds by the first half of next year. The expiration of this vital program would threaten the connectivity of more than 19 million American households (including about 86,000 households in Maine), while also creating major hurdles for achieving our state’s education and connectivity goals.
If the Affordable Connectivity Program ceases to exist, it would significantly undermine our state’s objective to increase the number of adults with degrees or credentials of value to 60% by 2025, a goal we have been pursuing and making progress on for years through the statewide coalition MaineSpark.
My organization has partnered with Maine employers, education institutions, nonprofits, state agencies and other partners to align the work of our organizations in achieving that 60% goal. Achieving the goal will equip more Mainers with the skills and education they need to flourish in the workforce and will grow our state as a whole, but succeeding in the classroom and obtaining a post-secondary degree is heavily dependent upon having the connectivity needed to access learning materials and online courses.
The Affordable Connectivity Program has been critical to complementing our state’s education efforts — it has not only lowered the cost of an internet subscription and brought more Mainers online as a result but also has provided valuable funding for digital devices like laptops and tablets, allowing Maine’s students to participate in essential education and training opportunities. Second, the program works hand in hand with efforts to expand broadband infrastructure and ultimately achieve our state’s goal of universal connectivity by the end of 2024.
Every Mainer deserves access to broadband if they desire it. The Affordable Connectivity Program plays an essential role in efforts to expand broadband infrastructure by increasing the amount of people who are able to afford a high-speed internet subscription, and in turn incentivizing providers to invest in broadband infrastructure projects.
A study by the Boston Consulting Group confirmed this, finding that the Affordable Connectivity Program reduces the subsidy needed to incentivize providers to build in rural areas by 25% per household. With over $270 million in federal funding coming to Maine aimed at expanding broadband infrastructure to unserved areas, the Affordable Connectivity Program will help make sure we use these dollars as effectively as possible — and do not run out of funds before everyone has the access they need.
Through my experience in education I have seen firsthand the incredible impact that a program like the this can have on enabling educational attainment. The benefits of the Affordable Connectivity Program are not just limited to the classroom; this assistance helps rural broadband efforts, our economy, our health care industry and essentially every sector of our country. It is imperative that leaders in Congress make sure this important program gets the funding it requires so that no American loses out on the connectivity that they need.
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