ACP funding extension not dead, but odds are 'low' – Blair Levin

While there's still a chance that funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) will be extended beyond April, one top policy expert fears that a successful extension faces an "uphill struggle." That was the assessment of New Street Research Policy Analyst Blair Levin, who shared his latest thoughts on the perils of the program in a research note. A pressing issue, he points out, is that ACP was not woven into Congress's latest budget package. "Nor do we see signs that Congress will do so in the next set of packages" that are set to be voted on later this month, added Levin, who is also a former Federal Communications Commission official. "There are a series of other legislative vehicles that will likely move forward in the next few months, in time to extend the program before current ACP customers are faced with the choice of increased payments or losing service," Levin explained. "But it also suggests that the odds of an ACP extension remain low."