An effort to encourage residents to take advantage of reduced priced internet services is underway in Southern Maine. Maine’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a federally-funded national program that supports low-income households by providing a financial discount of up to $30 per month on broadband services and a one-time $100 discount on an internet-capable device with participating ISPs. To date, the ACP program has successfully enrolled approximately 84,000 households statewide out of the nearly 240,000 eligible. Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission (SMPDC) is working with Sanford-based York County Community Action Corporation to enroll as many eligible households as possible.

According to Project Manager James Rather, Director of Strategic Initiatives at SMPDC, “We’re asking everyone to share this information with their neighbors and families to help spread the word to anyone they know who could benefit from the ACP subsidy. Internet access is now a critical part of civic engagement, employment, and access to essential services, such as telehealth and education. Enrolling in the ACP program can help to significantly reduce the household financial burden associated with monthly internet costs.”

“Unlike all other types of our country’s infrastructure, such as roads, water, and sewer, the backbone of our digital infrastructure is owned by private companies. The pathway to digital equity will be universal access to high capacity broadband, which must become non-negotiable. In the meantime 93% of libraries offer free Wi-Fi 24 seven to anyone logging on inside or outside the campus of the library,” said Kittery’s Rice Public Library Director Lee Perkins. “Public libraries are uniquely positioned to provide local support to local residents as we move forward with this major undertaking.”

Eligibility criteria for ACP enrollment includes a maximum household income of $60,000 for a household of four; for qualifying households, the subsidy could bring the cost of monthly internet down to as low as $19.99 per month, depending on which internet service provider is used.

Visit www.getinternet.gov to sign up for the ACP program directly. York County residents interested in enrolling can also get one-on-one support with the enrollment process from staff at the York County Community Action Corporation by calling 207-977-4096.

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