Public urged to learn the benefits of the Internet Subsidy Program
By The Star Staff
Enrique Völckers Nin, the assistant chief of staff for innovation, information, data & technology and executive director of the Broadband Program of Puerto Rico, urged citizens to determine if they qualify for the Internet Subsidy Program created by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which seeks to help families with the monthly payment for high-speed internet.
The announcement comes after the federal government declared the week of June 14-22 as the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Week of Action. During this period, the Puerto Rico Broadband program will be making various efforts to disseminate details about the program and how more families in Puerto Rico can benefit.
“This week we will conduct orientations directly in the communities with the support of community leaders, who we have trained to assist people in the application process,” Völckers Nin said. “This new initiative of the federal government allows us to disseminate details about the program on a mass scale, which has benefited thousands of families, but we know that many more, who are eligible, have not yet applied.”
The official noted that Puerto Rico is one of the jurisdictions that has assisted the most people, with some 565,000 families reached. The subsidy provides a discount of up to $30 per month on the internet service bill in eligible households and a one-time discount of up to $100 for the purchase of a computer or tablet purchased from a participating provider.