FCC chair defends broadband discounts for poor people against Republican attack

Enlarge / FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel at a Senate subcommittee hearing on September 19, 2023 in Washington, DC. (credit: Getty Images | The Washington Post)

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel defended a low-income discount program against attacks from GOP lawmakers, pointing out that Republicans criticized an aspect of the program that was decided by Congress, not the commission.

In December, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and several other Republican lawmakers blasted the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which gives $30 monthly broadband discounts to people with low incomes. The program is set to be discontinued in a few months because Congress hasn't added funding to continue it, though Democrats are pushing a bill that would keep it going.

The Republican letter to Rosenworcel accused the Federal Communications Commission of being "wasteful," saying that "it appears the vast majority of tax dollars have gone to households that already had broadband prior to the subsidy." Rosenworcel has since responded in a letter reminding Republicans that the FCC followed Congress' instructions when it implemented the ACP.