Evaluating the Impact of the Affordable Connectivity Program

The likely expiration of the Affordable Connectivity Program, the largest ever connectivity support program for low-income households, invites a discussion about the impact of the program and what alternative policy tools are available to promote digital equity. This study offers a preliminary assessment of the ACP’s goal to promote fixed broadband among lowincome households. It combines broadband deployment data from the Federal Communications Commission with Universal Service Administration Company (USAC) data about ACP subscriptions and demographic information from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). Considering the relatively short lifespan of the ACP program and the time lag in data availability, the results of the study are necessarily preliminary. At the same time, given the expiration of broadband support for over 23 million of the most vulnerable households, the need for evidence that supports discussions about the future of universal service is urgent. The results indicate that the ACP program resulted in an increase of between 6 and 10 percentage points in broadband and PC adoption in low-income counties adequately served by fixed broadband, relative to underserved counties. This represents an increase of about 7% relative to the average adoption level in adequately served counties in 2021.