(U.S. House of Representatives) – Sometimes it seems like too many in Congress are only interested in grandstanding for political points. For the rest of us, making progress for the people we represent often doesn’t get the most clicks or the most primetime media attention. Often, it takes the form of something like the Affordable Connectivity Program.
High-speed internet, which the ACP connects Americans to, has become as essential as electricity and running water in each of our lives. It’s a lifeline – for education, health care, employment and more. But too many Texans haven’t had access to this vital resource.
The ACP is funded by President Joe Biden’s transformative Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and across our state alone, 1.7 million households (and more than 72,000 in my district) are seeing their internet bills cut anywhere from $30-$75 each month. That’s evidence enough that this program, designed to make high-speed internet accessible to all Americans, has been a lifeline for so many families.
But right now, its future is being jeopardized by political inaction. I’m talking about the inaction of our junior senator, Cruz.
He sits on the committee responsible for the ACP, but he’s not working to strengthen it or bring costs down even further. He’s holding up funding for its renewal. He’s even working to stop the program’s savings for Texas families, calling it “wasteful.” At the same time Cruz is trying to reinvent himself in a newly bipartisan image – it’s an election year, and Texans know better – the ACP is just another commonsense, bipartisan initiative that he opposes.
The path forward is clear. Congress should act decisively to extend and fully fund the ACP. It represents a historic opportunity to bridge the digital divide and ensure equitable access to high-speed internet for all Texans by 2030.
Frankly, our state deserves better than the Republican obstruction, led by Cruz, that’s blocked this effort. It shouldn’t be controversial to say that everyone deserves cheaper access to reliable, high-speed internet – regardless of their ZIP code. Cruz thinks that Biden’s historic bipartisan work on the infrastructure law and the billions of dollars it’s investing in Texas’ economy wasn’t worth a yes vote. I do. Cruz thinks you should pay more for your internet access each month. I don’t.
Let’s end the partisan games that Republicans like him are playing. Let’s fully fund the Affordable Connectivity Program and not leave any of our communities behind.
Marc Veasey represents Texas’ 33rd Congressional District and is running for reelection.