Have a question about my work in Congress? Join me next Wednesday, June 26th at 6 pm PT for a Telephone Town Hall! I’ll be taking your questions about the issues of the day and providing an update on the things my team and I are working on in Washington.

Make sure to sign up here to get a call from me next Tuesday. Can’t make it via phone? It’s also streamed live on my website here. 

I want to hear from you on this important issue. 

This week my team in Washington, DC was able to help students from Shafter High School, educators from Liberty Middle School, and a family from Lemoore get a tour of the Capitol. If you’re planning a trip to Washington, D.C. be sure to reach out to my office so we can help secure tour tickets. Fill out the request form here. 

I wanted to wish a belated happy Father’s Day to all our dads throughout the Valley. Hope everyone had a great weekend with their loved ones!   

Trying to get an answer from a federal agency can often be a time-consuming and frustrating process. If you ever need help navigating a federal agency, you can visit my website here or call my Hanford office at (559) 460-6070. My team is ready to assist you!

Tratar de obtener una respuesta de una agencia federal a menudo puede ser un proceso frustrante y que requiere mucho tiempo. Si alguna vez necesita ayuda con una agencia federal, puede visitar mi sitio de web aquí o llamar a mi oficina de Hanford al (559) 460-6070. ¡Mi equipo está listo para ayudarte!

Our question this week comes from Timmy in Bakersfield. 

Is there any hope the Affordable Connectivity Program can be implemented sometime in the future?

Thanks for your question, Timmy. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) was started in 2020 to help low-income households stay connected to broadband services during the COVID-19 pandemic. This program gave funding to internet providers so they could subsidize monthly internet bills by $30 for qualifying customers. Like you mentioned, funding for the program ran out earlier this year, so households are no longer receiving this subsidy through their provider. I brought the Energy and Commerce Committee to Bakersfield in May to talk directly with folks in our community about long-term solutions. 

There are ongoing conversations in Congress about adjusting the eligibility requirements to make sure this program is going to people who need it most. While negotiations on updating the program continue, I support funding for the rest of 2024 in order to provide enough time to build agreement on a bipartisan set of reforms for the long-term health of the ACP. Reliable, affordable broadband is critical for work, school, and so many other things. As we all become more and more reliant on the internet in our daily lives, we cannot let rural areas fall behind. I will support any legislative effort on restarting this program that can get the necessary votes to pass the House and Senate.

Do you have a question about my position on an issue? How the Congress operates? My thoughts on the news of the day?

Send your first name, town, and question to AskDavid@mail.house.gov and I might answer yours right here in one of my weekly newsletters. Make sure to subscribe to my weekly email updates to see if your question was answered!

If you want to share your opinion with me on issues of importance, you can always contact me on my website.

Did you know you can now sign up for texts from my office to stay up to date on my work in Washington D.C.? To sign up to receive updates from me directly to your phone, just text VALADAO to (559) 387-4346 and you will be automatically subscribed. You can also sign up for text alerts using this form here.  

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