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Jeffrey DeHaven, founder of Empowerus, LLC, aspires to see his company’s platform become the new face of the ACP.
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
The makers of a “super app” designed for low-income families now hope to pick up the pieces of America’s shattered Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) by seeing their program embedded on ACP tablets and pushed out to existing ACP tablet holders.
The program, created by a California-based firm named Empowerus, has received backing from names like Bishop Harry L. Seawright, the head of economic development for the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and Terrence L. Melvin, president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unions.
“We started out with a prepaid card platform. We did a pilot on that,” said Jeffrey DeHaven, the founder of Empowerus. “Then we switched gears. And now what we’ve been doing is just developing the platform and it is ready to bolt on. I can bolt it onto a provider tomorrow.”
DeHaven said he spent years building the partnerships necessary to build out the program, which advertises a host of benefits including $10,000 guaranteed issued life insurance policies, credit building tools, a discount pharmacy program, a digital wallet, mobile device coverage and protection, and enhanced telemedicine and virtual care access.
“The worst feeling in the world is to love someone that passes away,” DeHaven said in regard to the guaranteed issued life insurance policies included the Empowerus benefits package. “I have to believe the second worst feeling is the inability to bury them in dignity and without financial stress,” he said of the program’s guaranteed life insurance offering.”
As he built the program, DeHaven said he was also inspired by leaders from California, who he said have fought for the interests of the market share that Empowerus seeks to serve.
“In California, we are so fortunate to have such powerful women in government that are really fighting for our underserved. Leaders of leaders like Betty Yee, Maxine Waters, Julie Su, Nancy Pelosi and Doris Matsui have been constant warriors for our low-income communities,” he said. “They have been great mentors for Empowerus as we developed this game changing platform.”
Now, after years of development, DeHaven hopes his program can hit the market, and help providers to earn the business of lower-income subscribers.
‘A pivotal opportunity’
According to DeHaven, the program’s offerings have the ability to free up millions of dollars for American families.
He said the demise of the ACP, a subsidy that helped millions of low-income American households afford internet, has created an opportunity for a company like his to partner with the industry.
Previously, the ACP provided eligible households $30 per month towards internet service. A benefit of $75 per month was also available to those who qualified on Tribal lands.
Households were considered eligible if their income was at or below 200 percent of poverty guidelines set by the government. The program ran out of money in June when the Republican led U.S. House of Representatives failed to approve new funding. This week, a report from Maravedis estimated that millions of households once enrolled in the program may drop their internet connections altogether.
“We found that there’s this giant marketplace of 26 million families that are underserved families, the same families that we are looking to empower,” DeHaven said.
Sabre Pictou Lee, an attorney with the Native American Institute who serves on the Empowerus board, said the company has set a high standard with their transformative benefits package.
“For over two centuries, Native American and Indigenous Peoples have been met with broken promises time and again,” she said. “Unfortunately, the ACP perpetuates this familiar disappointment. Connectivity is crucial for Indigenous communities to stay connected globally. Despite being courted by various companies, very few have shown a genuine commitment to permanently enhancing our lives.”
She said the company represents “a pivotal opportunity” for social change.
“Embedding these benefits within the ACP program would demonstrate a sincere dedication to our economic progress, surpassing mere obligations for connectivity,” she said.
DeHaven said Empowerus plans to deliver all of the advertised benefits associated with the program through the Secured Card Association of America (SCAA), a Texas not-for-profit that creates products and services for the entire payment industry.
“Whether a credit or debit card, a prepaid platform, a payroll services company or a retail financial services network provider, SCAA supplies you with an unmatched ever growing retention toolkit,” the SCAA’s website stated.
According to DeHaven, the platform he’s created can also be an invaluable tool for employers seeking to increase retention, and for providers hoping to slow subscriber churn.
“You don’t throw away something that’s got your life insurance attached to it, or your bank account, or your telemedicine,” he said.
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