Congress must act now to fund the Affordable Connectivity Program

There is an underreported threat looming if Congress doesn’t act soon: 21.5 million households in the U.S. could lose access to an affordable internet. The bipartisan Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provides monthly subsidies for low-income Americans to get online. And it’s been a great success: the ACP has now connected nearly 60 million Americans to broadband, many of whom have never previously had internet access at home. However, funds are expected to run out by April 2024, leaving those millions of Americans suddenly without affordable access or access at all. The ACP plays a pivotal role in local communities, and ending the program would set us back years in our effort to overcome the affordability gap — a barrier that accounts for two-thirds of our nation’s digital divide. As we continue to build out our networks with billions of dollars in funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we need to ensure that Americans can afford to access these networks, so our investment does not go to waste. That’s why I ask our Congress to act swiftly to appropriate funds for the ACP. It’s the responsible thing to do for Americans. 

[Chip Pickering is CEO of INCOMPAS, previously, he was a six-term congressman representing Mississippi’s Third District]