23 Million Might Have to Re-Enroll in Affordable Connectivity Program

The digital inclusion program manager of a program to get people online warned during a press conference that if the Affordable Connectivity Program ends and later resumes, tens of millions of  beneficiaries may have to manually re-enroll. Leslie Scott, digital inclusion program manager of KC Digital Drive, raised the concerns in a press conference hosted by advocates of renewing the ACP. Scott said that, during a Federal Communications Commission listening session, she and other observers were informed that if the ACP restarts after shutting down, 23 million program participants might have to sign up again. She lamented that this could cause a significant dropoff in broadband enrollment and slow down existing progress. Scott suggested that more financial help and staffing be provided to community-based programs and organizations so they can assist in the re-enrollment process. Recovering the entirety of the 23 million ACP enrollees will be, “very, very difficult,” Scott said.