25 Million homes will lose broadband discounts if Congress keeps stalling, FCC warns

A federal program that provides $30 monthly broadband discounts to people with low incomes is expected to run out of money in April 2024, potentially taking affordable Internet service plans away from well over 20 million households. For months, supporters of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) have been pushing Congress to give the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) more funding for the program. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel urged lawmakers to act during a November 30, 2023 House Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing. In an opening statement, Chairwoman Rosenworcel said the ACP is providing discounts for over 22 million households. The FCC expects that number to reach 25 million by April 2024, when the program would run out of money. The Biden administration requested $6 billion to fund the program through December 2024. In November 2023, the governors of 25 US states and Puerto Rico urged Congress to extend the ACP. The governors' letter pointed out that the US is spending $42.5 billion to deploy new broadband connections and said the low-income discounts help incentivize Internet Service Providers to build in rural areas.