March 2024

23,269,550. This was the number of households participating in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) when enrollment closed on February 8th, 2024. It is more than one out of every six households in the United States. But 23,269,550 is also a very high precipice from which to fall. If the ACP ends, all enrollees will experience some combination of bill shock, disconnections, financial sacrifice, service downgrades, and/or household debt.

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has accepted West Virginia’s Digital Equity plan. Using $728,065 from the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program, West Virginia created a plan aimed at addressing disparities in digital access, skills and affordability across the state. States are continuing to submit their plans for NTIA’s acceptance, and NTIA will accept plans on a rolling basis. In the coming months, NTIA will launch the $1.44 billion Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program. Key objectives include:

All 50 States, DC, and Puerto Rico have submitted their Digital Equity Plans to NTIA for acceptance. This is a milestone moment in closing the digital divide. For the first time in our nation’s history, each state will have a plan to connect communities with the resources they need to achieve digital equity. That’s never been true before, and it’s an exciting indicator of how far we’ve come as a nation in acknowledging and addressing this challenge.