Exclusive: AT&T CEO on massive new investment to shrink digital divide

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Axios

6 hours ago


AT&T is putting an additional $3 billion by 2030 toward projects aimed at closing the digital divide in the U.S., the company announced Thursday morning.

Why it matters: U.S. consumers pay some of the highest prices for internet among developed countries.

Many Americans want Congress to handle threats to affordable and reliable internet access, Axios' Maria Curi has reported.

And one of the existing solutions — the Affordable Connectivity Program — will "undoubtedly" run out of funds this month.

Zoom in: Lower-income and rural households are less likely than wealthier and urban Americans to have high-speed internet, which puts them at a disadvantage in education, entrepreneurship and employment.

More than 23 million U.S. households are at risk of losing discounts on their internet access if Congress fails to fund the Affordable Connectivity Program.

"Anything that has to do with economic development — is just so fundamental to have scaled access to the internet," AT&T CEO John Stankey tells Axios exclusively ahead of the news.

State of play: The company has a goal of helping 25 million people in the U.S. access and "stay connected to affordable, high-speed internet" this decade, according to the announcement.

In 2021, AT&T initially committed $2 billion by 2024 toward this mission and says it has since helped nearly 5 million Americans

.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/2024/04/04/att-john-stankey-affordable-connectivity-program

---

Link to AT&T ANNOUNCEMENT - AT&T Commitment to Help Close the Digital Divide Increases to $5 Billion

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Make neo-Appalachia digital

Poverty of Place was a recent book, I think. If you bring a horse to culture, will he drink?