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May 12, 2021
Today the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launches the Emergency Broadband Benefit program, the first-of-its-kind temporary internet discount program geared toward helping families and individuals afford access to the internet at home while recovering financially from the COVID-19 pandemic. At NHMC we believe access to the internet is a human right, not a luxury reserved for the elite. The launch of the EBB program is a welcome addition to ongoing efforts to close the digital divide.
Before this pandemic, over a third of Latinx households did not have access to the internet at home. As one of the communities hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic turmoil, we fear that those statistics have increased, leaving those most in need of access disconnected. Equity for the Latinx community is intrinsically tied to digital rights and equitable access to the internet at home.
Over the last year, NHMC has joined civil rights allies in calling on Congress to pass a program to make the internet more affordable for our community. We are so proud to see the fruits of that advocacy with the Emergency Broadband Benefit, a program that provides $50 ($75 for tribal lands) monthly discounts to the internet bills of eligible households.
We will be releasing updates on the Emergency Broadband Benefit program as we learn from the program’s launch and rollout, including more information and materials to help you spread the word and enroll our comunidad in this crucial program.
Yours in the Movement,
Brenda Victoria Castillo
President & CEO
National Hispanic Media Coalition
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