Letter

On May 1, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote to Congressional leaders with a final update on the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). April was the last month of full funding for the program, which will fully exhaust during May without additional funding from Congress. "If additional funding is not promptly appropriated, the one in six households nationwide that rely on this program will face rising bills and increasing disconnection.

We write to request that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigate several automobile manufacturers — Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, Volkswagen, BMW, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, and Kia — for deceiving their customers by falsely claiming to require a warrant or court order before turning over customer location data to government agencies. Recent investigations by our offices confirmed that only some of the car companies are honoring this commitment.

Rep. Brandon Williams (R-NY-22) led a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in support of replenished funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP is in the process of winding down in the absence of congressional funding, and beneficiaries will completely lose their discount after May 2024. In light of the widespread, positive impact that the ACP has had on expanding access to this vital tool, the representatives urge immediate action to secure short-term funding for this program. 

Charter Communications—through its affiliates Charter Fiberlink – Michigan LLC, Charter Fiberlink – Missouri, LLC, and Charter Fiberlink CCO, LLC—was awarded Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) funding to deploy gigabit-speed internet service in certain unserved areas of Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-TX) led a bicameral coalition of their committee colleagues in calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reverse course and abandon its so-called “net neutrality” draft order—an illegal power grab that would expose the broadband industry to an oppressive regulatory regime under Title II of the Communications Act. The members argue that the FCC’s draft order ignores the text of the Communications Act of 1934, which explicitly precludes the FCC from

New Democrat Coalition Rep Angie Craig (D-MN) and Freshman Leadership Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) led 95 New Democrat Coalition Members in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) calling on House Republican Leadership to take immediate bipartisan action to fund the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

On April 15, a coalition of 271 civil-society groups and local, state and Tribal governments sent a letter to the House of Representatives that urges all members to sign a discharge petition filed by Rep Yvette Clarke (D-NY) in support of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Extension Act. By filing a discharge petition, a member of Congress can bring a bill out of committee to be voted on by the entire chamber.

I am writing to provide an update on the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which is on the brink of shutting down due to lack of funding.  This program is the largest broadband affordability effort in our Nation’s history.  Today, more than 23 million households nationwide count on it to get online and stay online, including vulnerable seniors, veterans, school-aged children, and residents of rural and Tribal communities.

We write in support of your ongoing focus on internet affordability as you work to administer the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program enacted in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  For years, Democrats and Republicans expressed concern over the digital divide, and the $42 billion investment in the BEAD Program gives us a real opportunity to finally bridge this divide and connect every American to high-speed, reliable, and affordable internet.

On March 20, 2024, Next Century Cities (NCC) met with the Federal Communications Commission's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) staff regarding the Affordable Connectivity Program wind-down. NCC said the CGB must work closely with the Wireline Competition Bureau to craft wind-down guidance that ensures customers are protected. NCC also urged the Federal Communications Commission to require providers to disclose how a consumers bill will increase.