The National Domestic Violence Hotline Issues Letter of Support for the Affordable Connectivity Program

On behalf of The National Domestic Violence Hotline, we write to request robust additional funding for the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Access to affordable high-speed internet is not a luxury in 2024. This ACP is the largest broadband affordability effort in our Nation’s history which has successfully allowed more than 23 million households to get—and stay—connected to robust broadband service at home. This includes vulnerable populations such as victims of domestic violence and survivors of other forms of gender-based abuse who are often isolated, experience many forms of economic abuse and depend on seeking critically needed assistance via access to the internet. The ACP represents a huge step forward in closing the digital divide for our nation’s most vulnerable populations in urban, rural and Tribal communities. Without additional funding for the program, we stand to backslide on that progress and directly impact the safety of thousands of victims of domestic violence. We cannot let these vulnerable individuals and families lose their vital connections merely because Congress failed to provide critically needed funding to continue this successful program.