Posted on 05/02/2016 9:12:07 AM PDT by reaganaut1
Any home where at least one person receives food stamps will be eligible for the new program, called Access from AT&T.
The offering is part of an agreement AT&T (T, Tech30) made with the FCC as part of last year's DirectTV merger and will be available until 2020. The company is the latest to offer discounted internet to low-income households in the United States, joining Comcast (CCV), Google Fiber, and some local government and nonprofit.
These programs help close the so-called "digital divide" for families who would otherwise be forced to rely on school connections or cell phones. A lack of reliable internet access can have countless negative implications, including for students who need it to complete homework and adults who are searching for jobs.
In March, the FCC voted to expand its Lifeline program and add a $9.25 subsidy that could go toward broadband internet for low-income households. Another government initiative called ConnectALL wants to bring internet access to 20 million homes by 2020.
Access from AT&T will offer 3Mbps connections for $5 a month, and faster 5Mbps or 10Mbps connections for $10 a month. All installation and equipment fees will also be waived. People don't actually get to choose their speed, they'll automatically be assigned the fastest available where they live.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
As long as they don’t raise rates on normal people. If the shareholders are happy with giving away profits, then more power to them!
Socialism at it’s best. Make X dollars or less for $5.00 internet. One dollar over X dollars and you’re paying full. You’re evil and rich and can afford it. It’s only fair. I’m sure Bernie applauds this!
Walk into a home with that $5 low income internet and I guarantee there will be a Playstation 4 with more games than you knew existed.
Last week received notification from AT & T of price hike. Now we know more of the why.
Well, Sherlock, you can be sure that the cost is not being paid from the stockholders' profits or the AT&T executive bonus pool.
That leaves the normal ratepayers or the normal taxpayers spreading their cheeks.
“As long as they dont raise rates on normal people. “
You must be dreaming.
Good luck collecting even $5 from them. Cutting off their Internet would be... racist... can’t do that.
You are acting like we have some semblance of a free market, but we don't. To close a business deal AT&T had to agree to this blackmail by FedGov. And of course subscribes will pay for this. Who else can?
The big carriers are not doing the continued infrastructure upgrades to support the addition freeloaders, thus lowering the quality for those of us who pay for it.
That reminds me of when we lived in PA - when a home builder wanted to obtain permits to put 9 or 10 homes on a piece of land he had acquired he had to promise all sorts of “improvements” to the Township. Sometimes it was adding trees to the perimeter, and sometimes it was widening a road....but always seemed like blackmail to me as well.
I’m in favor of giving them free dial up, but free internet is CRAZY. You’ll have the FSA/gimmedats playing HALO and GTA all day long (while still making more money than us suckers).
Paid for by other people.
A lack of reliable internet access can have countless negative implications, including for students who need it to complete homework and adults who are searching for jobs.
HOHOHO hahaha heeheehee.
X1000
You don’t “make a deal” with the FCC. You either grant their demands with a smile, or force them to hog-tie you and take it from you.
Some pigs are more equal than others.....................
Reduced rates on streaming porn, too?
Last month they raised my uVerse bill by $90 !! I flipped out. Called, finally got an American, he worked w/ me and after cutting a few channels got the bill down to about what I've been paying for several years.
Just got this month's bill, jumped $50. calling in a couple minutes.
As much as I hate to, I may go back to (gulp)..Time Warner.
BTW..Google announced they are going to provide fiber to low income housing free. Us poor schmucks would pay out the nose for it.
Just what America needs: another incentive to stay poor.
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