US Affordable Connectivity Program is Closing the Digital Divide

In the wake of the Biden Administration’s request for a $6 billion extension of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), some in Congress question the program’s true impact on bringing broadband access to new users. Critics have pointed to a lack of data confirming whether the program’s impressive enrollment figures translate into a meaningful increase in internet access for previously disconnected individuals. Admittedly, the data was sparse until now. As policymakers consider the future of the ACP program, my new analysis of program enrollment and broadband adoption data demonstrates that the program effectively meets its primary mission: closing the digital divide. ACP enrollment rates have been robust since the program’s inception at the beginning of 2022. Through October of 2023, 21.5 million households have enrolled in the program, which means that approximately 18% of US households with broadband subscriptions rely on the subsidy. ACP sign-ups have been particularly strong in places where poverty rates are high, and are notably the same in urban and rural areas. Enrollment is also higher than expected in areas with households headed by Black people and Latinos, and in places with high unemployment. Overall, ACP enrollment is growing in the places and among the people that the program targets, and not only that, but it is also helping people who did not previously have access to get online. In other words, the answer to the question of whether the ACP is closing the digital divide is a clear yes. This makes maintaining the ACP more crucial than ever. Subscription vulnerability – the challenge of maintaining broadband subscriptions for low-income households – will endure. That means the need for service subsidies will, too. Thus far, the Affordable Connectivity Program has shown itself to be an effective tool for helping people get and stay online.