The Trump administration is telling states they will be shut out of a $42 billion broadband deployment fund if they set the rates that Internet service providers receiving subsidies are allowed to charge people with low incomes.
The latest version of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) FAQ on the grant program, released today, is a challenge to states considering laws that would force Internet providers to offer cheap plans to people who meet income eligibility guidelines. One state already has such a law: New York requires ISPs with over 20,000 customers in the state to offer $15 broadband plans with download speeds of at least 25Mbps, or $20-per-month service with 200Mbps speeds.
They’re probably trying to stop low-income people from having some means of learning about the world (at least until the Trump Administration manages to control their part of the Internet like China does) and reducing their ability to organise en masse.
“They might learn more about Jeffery Epstein and the people who spent time with him. Can’t have that!”