Event in San Miguel aimed at signing people up for affordable connectivity
Events on Aug. 27 to register community members who qualify
Events on Aug. 27 to register community members who qualify– The Broadband Consortium Pacific Coast is joining the statewide coalition in response to the call to action by the California Broadband Council to close the digital divide through the increased registration for affordable internet services.
In March 2022, the California Broadband Council issued a “call to action” to get online high-speed internet service to 90-percent of all eligible low-income households by 2024. In San Luis Obispo County, 42,132 (40-percent) of community households are eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program with 5,421 households currently enrolled (13-percent). In response to this call to action, the California Department of Technology, California Department of Education, California State Library, California State Association of Counties, and California Emerging Technology Fund are coordinating a statewide mobilization effort to promote the Affordable Connectivity Program, called Get Connected! California.
These state agencies and statewide organizations will promote information about the program to the over five million eligible households in California. The direct communications and strategic mobilization are focused on Aug. 2022 as the first Get Connected! month when students are returning to school. The mobilization will distribute information about the benefit, eligibility requirements, and where to get enrollment help to reach every family with a child on the National School Lunch Program, all participants in Medi-Cal and CalFresh, and library patrons in priority neighborhoods throughout the state.
The program provides eligible households up to $30/month (or $75/month on Tribal lands) off internet bills, as well as a one-time $100 discount off a connected device. The program is a key part of the Federal Internet for All initiative.
On Aug. 27, the Consortium is hosting an ACP enrollment site at the San Miguel Community Center, located at 256 13th Street in San Miguel, from 9 a.m. – Noon. Volunteers will be available to assist Spanish and English speakers with eligibility requirements or enroll if they bring the necessary qualifying paperwork.
To find out more about the “Get Connected” initiative please follow this link: https://www.internetforallnow.org/ To volunteer, contact Maria Kelly, mmkelly@pcbroadband.org. To find affordable service programs by in California by zip code, please follow this link:https://broadbandforall.cdt.ca.gov/affordable-service-programs
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