Only Conservatives Can Save the Affordable Connectivity Program

Our federal deficit is exploding, and America’s financial house is in disarray. The country’s borrowing costs are at their highest level in over 20 years, and the national debt has surpassed $34 trillion for the first in history. In this environment, implementing stringent fiscal policy should be the standard operating procedure for all conservatives. Yet it would be folly to allow the Affordable Connectivity Program, a federal broadband subsidy program, to expire. The resistance to supporting another federal subsidy is more than valid. Yet even hardline conservatives should rally behind the ACP and the additional funding needed to keep the program alive. Why? The ACP is not a program that makes people dependent on the government. Instead, it helps them address their specific needs and participate in the digital economy, which is increasingly essential for routine life and prosperity. There are valid criticisms of the ACP and other federal connectivity programs. But for now, we need a solution and fast. We can’t get lost in the fallacy of the perfect—we need to live in the reality of the pretty good. Don’t pull the plug on the millions of conservative American households that rely on the ACP.

[Bartlett Cleland is the Executive Director of the Innovation Economy Alliance]