Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi reported that thanks to an additional allocation of $740,000 for the Affordable Connectivity Reach (ACP) Grant Program, nearly one million eligible families will be able to benefit from the subsidy for high speed internet in Puerto Rico.

The approval of additional funding from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) comes after Puerto Rico became the fifth jurisdiction in the United States to favorably manage the funds available for such a program.

“As part of the public policy of my administration, one of the priorities is technology and the digitalization of government services, as well as that every citizen on the island has access to high speed internet. This means that more people can quickly and securely access the internet, performing multiple tasks, with better technology, which at the end of the day results in savings in infrastructure, time and better quality of life,” said the governor.

For his part, the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Innovation, Information, Data and Technology and executive director of the Broadband Program, Enrique Völckers Nin indicated that, “the main mission is to facilitate promotion and knowledge so that more eligible people can benefit from the Affordable Connectivity Program, through which the FCC subsidizes families and individuals to pay for high-speed internet services so that they can access their work, education, health services, among other services.”

Völckers Nin highlighted the importance of this allocation in closing the gap in access to high speed internet in the 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico.

For this assignment, Puerto Rico was measured against other states, cities, universities, non-profit organizations, and community institutions in the United States. As detailed by the FCC, when announcing the selected proposals, 350 applications for grants for the development of high-speed internet projects were evaluated in the process.

The chosen proposals were evaluated through a process in which merits were reviewed to determine the quality of the proposed projects, activities and budget, and the review of risks to determine the fiscal stability of an applicant, including the quality of management systems, the history of grant performance, and auditing reports and findings.

In total, the FCC allocated an amount of $66 million for this project, including that achieved by Puerto Rico. With the budgetary allocation, the federal agency seeks to recruit partners or collaborators to serve as reliable messengers among citizens to implement innovative strategies that allow them to access high-speed internet.

The Government of Puerto Rico submitted its proposal through the Office of Management and Budget, the agency in charge of managing the funds, and one of the established goals is for more people to request financial aid to access high-speed internet.

How families and individuals know if they qualify for high speed internet support

Völckers Nin urged Puerto Ricans who do not yet have the subsidy to pay their internet bill to visit the official White House website and complete the eligibility form for the Affordable Connectivity Reach (ACP) Grant Program, through: http://getinternet.gov/. Information is available in Spanish and English.

“Puerto Rico is the fifth jurisdiction in the United States with the highest use of the Affordable Connectivity Reach Grant Program, but we haven't yet reached half of those who could benefit on the island. With this grant, we have the opportunity to impact more than one million families who qualify for this aid,” Pierluisi concluded.

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