In many rural parts of America, there is only one internet provider, which can lead to high prices and poor service. If a family has a cable in their street but the service costs $150 a month, they are effectively still in the 'digital divide.'

If this becomes law, it could redirect millions of dollars in federal grants to areas where high costs are keeping people offline. It acknowledges that having a connection is useless if you can't afford to turn it on, potentially helping students, remote workers, and farmers in low-income rural areas get the same digital opportunities as those in cities.