Unless you are extraordinarily wealthy or extraordinarily disciplined about screen time, you probably keep track of every penny you earn and every penny you spend, but you have probably long since lost count of how much time you spend on the Internet. Your phone might send you an alert on Sunday mornings telling you your average amount of screen time for the week, and it is usually upwards of three hours; all of this is only coming from one device, and it does not count the time you spent on your computer or watching YouTube videos on your TV.
Everything is painfully expensive these days, and favorite websites are our only escape when shuttling from one gig to another, even when they are both online gigs that you can do from anywhere. What would happen if your Internet bill suddenly jumped in price, just like your groceries, rent, and everything else you cannot avoid using? For millions of low-income American households, the Internet bill apocalypse is coming this month since a federal Internet subsidy will expire this month unless lawmakers somehow put aside their differences and agree to extend it. If the Affordable Connectivity Plan was the last thing keeping you from a financial collapse, contact an Oakland lawsuits, collections, and creditor harassment lawyer.
A Modest Internet Subsidy Made a Big Difference
The Affordable Connectivity Plan (ACP) is one of the pandemic-era benefits that Americans will miss the most. It started in 2022 and gave households with income below a certain level a $30 monthly subsidy on their Internet bill; it also provided a stipend of several hundred dollars for members of eligible households to put toward the purchase of a new laptop computer. Thanks to the ACP, carless seniors attended telehealth appointments, students submitted their assignments on time, remote workers earned a paycheck from jobs and gigs, and everyone stayed in contact with friends and family. The ACP beneficiaries were millions of Americans in precarious financial circumstances. 40% of them live in rural areas, and 20% are above the age of 65. Military veterans are also disproportionately represented among ACP beneficiaries. Unfortunately, the ACP expires in May 2024.
How Will You Manage Without Affordable Internet?
Going device-free is a luxury for the rich. You need home Internet so you can stay employed and, if you live alone, you can contact people in an emergency. Your budget cannot handle another $30 tacked onto your Internet bill. You can only kick this problem down the road with buy now pay later (BNPL) for so long. Something has to give. A debt relief lawyer can help you find a solution, whether it is debt consolidation, debt settlement, or filing for bankruptcy protection.
Contact the Law Office of Melanie Tavare About Dealing With Yet Another Financial Crisis
A debt relief lawyer can help you assess your debt situation and make realistic plans for coping with an economy where everything is prohibitively expensive. Contact the Law Office of Melanie Tavare in Oakland, California, or call (510)255-4646 for a case evaluation.
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