The United States will provide the poorest citizens $ 9.25 per month to pay for access to the Network

Photo: Shutterstock / Pavel Ilyukhin

The US Federal Communications Commission has long insisted that the poorest citizens of the country be helped to pay for the Internet. At the same time, the state plans to focus specifically on providing assistance for citizens to access the network, rather than subsidizing voice mobile communications. The commission has already published the details of its proposal.

According to the document , households with the lowest income level in the country will receive targeted assistance in the amount of $ 9.25 to pay for Internet service providers. This refers to access to broadband channels, regardless of whether it is ADSL, optical fiber or mobile Internet. The width of the channel at the same time should be the average for the country, so to speak. At the moment, this is 10 MB / s per download and 1 MB / s for upload. Telephone payment assistance is also envisaged - the tariff plan of any operator must include an unlimited option.

However, earlier the Commission limited the lower level of what its representatives understand by the term “broadband Internet” to 25 MB / sec. It is also noted that most of the tariff plans of operators include offers, the cost of which is much higher than $ 9. At the same time, pure voice services will not be subsidized, assistance is provided only for Internet packages (or Internet + telephone).
')
Additional funding is provided through the Lifeline subsidy program. According to representatives of the Committee of the Federal Communications Commission, even a small targeted assistance of $ 9.25 can be extremely useful in some situations. For example, having received such assistance, a low-income citizen of the state can find work using network services, start a home-based business or do homework (school / institute). Not always the poor family can afford to spend the Internet or even go to the local fast food to connect to the network institutions.