Supes Unanimously Call for Affordable Internet Services for City’s Seniors, People With Disabilities

By Olivia Wynkoop
Bay City News

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is asking internet service providers to make internet connections affordable for seniors and people with disabilities.

The resolution unanimously passed Tuesday asks companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast to adjust their costs so low-income and older residents can have access to high-speed internet.

Supervisor Ahsha Safai joined supervisors Dean Preston, Connie Chan, Shamann Walton, Myrna Melgar and Hillary Ronen in co-sponsoring the resolution.

As much of the world shifted to a virtual setting at the beginning of the pandemic, having access to stable internet has become “essential for survival,” notes the resolution. Older people and those with disabilities, especially in Black and brown neighborhoods, are becoming increasingly isolated without internet access.

The resolution calls it “digital redlining.” Neighborhoods with a legacy of under-investment — like the Bayview, Tenderloin and Chinatown — are often the ones with slower internet speeds due to old cables and dated housing infrastructure, reads the resolution.

“Big network providers benefited from the promotion of online activities at the start of the pandemic, while such shifts exacerbated the impact of the digital divide in senior and disabled communities,” reads the resolution.

The federal Affordable Connectivity Program provides cheaper internet to people under 200 percent of the national poverty level, which for a one-person household would be making $27,000 a year.

Supervisors are asking for discounts based on San Francisco’s definition of “low income,” 80 percent of its area median income. The expansion would include households that make less than $77,600 a year.

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