Biden announces program offering discounted internet service

By Aamer Madhani and Will Weissert

WASHINGTON (AP)– President Joe Biden says 20 internet companies have agreed to provide discounted service to people with low incomes. The program announced Monday at a Rose Garden event at the White House could effectively make tens of millions of households eligible for free service. The $1 trillion infrastructure package passed by Congress last year included funding that provided $30 monthly subsidies on internet service for millions of lower-income households, $75 in tribal areas. Some 48 million households will be eligible for $30 monthly plans for service at least 100 megabits per second. Biden says high-speed internet access is a necessity, not a luxury.