As FCC Formally Announces Last Full ACP Month, Providers Face Big Decisions

April will officially be the last full month for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) due to insufficient funding. The FCC will let providers know soon about the amount to expect per customer in May, leaving the providers with a choice to make. Should they end their participation in the program after April? Should they pass on a partial benefit to customers for May and require the customers to pay the extra portion? Or should they offer a full ACP benefit in May by contributing whatever they need to to reach the full $30 per month discount per low-income household? And what happens after May? Providers that don’t already have a low-income offering also must decide whether they want to create one as an option for ACP customers losing their benefits. As they make these decisions, providers also must comply with requirements to make several notifications to ACP customers about the impending end of the program.