Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 4 Administrative Director Frank Mathews joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the Affordable Connectivity Program and how it could improve educational and economic opportunities for millions of qualified Americans.
Funded through the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, the Affordable Connectivity Program provides $30 vouchers for qualified households. As part of the program, the federal government has partnered with 20 major internet carriers who have agreed to offer broadband internet for $30. When the vouchers are factored in, this would provide free broadband access to millions of families.
Another portion of the Infrastructure bill will furnish broadband access to rural areas. Mathews compared this to the efforts of the Rural Electric Authority that brought electricity to rural America in the 1930s. He talked about how affordable and accessible broadband will create educational and economic opportunities for millions of underserved households.
Mathews then spoke about how he believes the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductor (CHIPS) for America Act will revitalize domestic manufacturing, and then finished his appearance talking about a CWA campaign against Frontier Communications for using outside labor rather than the company’s own employees to build out its fiber optic network.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.