Hoyer: Dems Working to Close Digital Divide
Rep. Steny Hoyer met with St. Mary’s County leaders at the Garvey Senior Activity Center in Leonardtown on April 5 to discuss expanding broadband access for residents. (Photo courtesy of Congressman Hoyer’s office)
Congressman Steny H. Hoyer met with St. Mary’s County leaders and joined a roundtable on how Investing in America funding is connecting families in Maryland’s Fifth District to reliable, affordable high-speed broadband, and internet-capable devices. The visit was part of the Regional Leadership Council’s Investing in America Week of Action.
Rep. Hoyer, who chairs the Regional Leadership Council, also met with key stakeholders in St. Mary’s who are expanding broadband access and connecting low-income households to the internet through the Affordable Connectivity Program. He updated stakeholders on the future of the ACP and shared his ongoing efforts to secure future funds for the program.
The ACP has provided benefits to 21,036 households in Maryland’s Fifth District – creating savings of up to $30 a month for low-income households, and up to $75 a month for households on qualifying tribal lands. St. Mary’s County government also recently announced that 4,500 Chromebooks were awarded to low-income households through the Maryland Connected Devices Program, which was created through American Rescue Plan funding.
“The Affordable Connectivity Program has transformed St. Mary’s County and communities across the country,” Congressman Hoyer (D-MD) said. “Education, health care, and our economy rely on America’s workers, students, seniors, and families being connected to the internet. I remain committed to narrowing the digital divide, lowering internet costs, and ensuring everyone in Maryland’s Fifth District has access to internet-capable devices. As part of my Investing in America Week of Action tour across the Fifth District, I heard directly from constituents about the monumental impact this program is having in our community.”
“The commissioners and St. Mary’s County government are grateful to our partners at the federal and state level, and throughout our community, for their continued support and work toward ensuring broadband access for all our residents. Our shared commitment to addressing the digital divide has resulted in 98% overall connectivity in St. Mary’s County and provided 4,500 eligible residents with laptops to increase equitable access,” St. Mary’s County Commissioner Eric Colvin (R) said.
“For many, if not most, it was their first encounter with a computer,” said COL John Lombardi, Maryland Veterans Home Program director. “For others like Mr. Bump, a 98-year-old World War II veteran, realized he could listen to music on [his Chromebook] and takes full advantage of that daily.”
“In March when COVID restricted everyone to their homes our family was greatly impacted due to the lack of high-speed internet,” said one St. Mary’s County resident. “My high school student had to go to a friend’s house in order to keep up with her studies and attend her classes. I had to rely on a hot spot that struggled to keep up with my day-to-day work responsibilities. I was not able to keep a connection while attending [Microsoft] Teams meetings and found myself having to travel to the local church parking lot to get connectivity. Receiving our high-speed internet in November was a lifesaver, as my employer now has us working from home on a full-time basis. I don’t know what [we] would have done without the efforts of our government.”
“As a result of St. Mary’s County’s support, I was able to have access to high-speed internet in my rurally located newly constructed home,” said another St. Mary’s County resident. “Because we were not part of an existing neighborhood, the expense was much too high for me to encumber as a single mom on a teacher’s salary. My daughter was able to participate in online learning due to this installation.”
The ACP was created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and implemented by the Federal Communications Commission. The $14.2 billion from the BIL for the ACP supplemented the monthly cost of internet for more than 23 million qualifying households.
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