Thursday, February 8, 2024
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ACP enrollments end today – now what?
As FCC Freezes ACP Enrollment, Benton Institute Asks Congress to Act
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Affordable Connectivity Program
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which subsidizes broadband for low-income households, will officially stop accepting new enrollments after February 7, as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gears up for the popular program to run out of funds this May. As the ACP enters its wind-down phase, consequences are being felt around the country before consumers lose their existing benefits. NaLA is among the organizations working to both try to save the program through advocacy efforts and to assist confused consumers who are receiving notices about the benefit ending. Jordan Axt, who is leading NaLA's consumer outreach around the ACP ending, said that customers are confused about the program's end. "They don't know who to call, where to turn. They think that maybe we're the ones that have a say in whether or not the program provides them funding ... And we've been getting hundreds of those calls and emails per week."
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) will freeze enrollment today (February 7, 2024) because funds are running out for this enormously effective federal program that helps people pay their internet bills. Already, roughly 23 million low-income households across America have received notices that the price of their internet service will go up by as much as $30 in a few months—and that includes more than 8.7 million households in the United States’ heartland region. Despite a bipartisan majority of voters supporting the ACP (62% of Republicans and 96% of Democrats), millions of households in the heartland will be at risk of no longer being able to pay for broadband internet service if Congress allows funding to run out. With one in every six American households set to have the cost of their internet service go up, Congress can and must renew the ACP. We have the tools to solve this 21st century challenge, if we can find the political will to make it so.
[Chhaya Kapadia is chief of staff for New America’s Open Technology Institute. Chris Sadler is a former education data and privacy fellow at the institute.]
Today, the doors are closing on the most successful broadband affordability program in U.S. history—the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)—despite the ACP’s overwhelming support from voters, advocates, industry, state officials, and Members of Congress. The ACP was created so that financial hardship would never be a barrier to internet access. If you lost your job one day, the ACP meant you could still look for work the next. No distance could keep you from your doctor, your teacher, or your loved ones. The ACP was a guarantee that opportunity would be available to people across the U.S no matter what. Today, that guarantee is void. The ACP has closed its doors. Congress may yet reopen them, but until it does, struggling Americans will be forced to choose between essentials like food, medicine, and internet service. Without the ACP, many can’t afford all three. Fund the ACP ASAP.
This tracker features information on active Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program challenge processes, including dates for the opening and closing of online portals to submit challenges as well as links to those portals.
Governor Kay Ivey (R-AL) announced the awarding of more than $188 million to continue the expansion of high-speed internet access in Alabama. The grants, totaling $188,453,905, were awarded to 12 internet service providers to install more than 4,000 miles of “middle-mile” projects throughout Alabama. Middle-mile projects help fill the gap in broadband expansion to make it more economically feasible and less labor intensive for providers to extend services to unserved businesses and households in the state. The entities awarded grants are:
- Central Alabama Electric Cooperative
- Coosa Valley Technologies
- Cullman Electric Cooperative
- Farmers Telecommunications
- Alabama Fiber Network
- JMF Solutions
- Joe Wheeler Electric Membership
- Point Broadband
- Spectrum Southeast
- Tombigbee Electric Cooperative
- Uniti Fiber
- Yellowhammer Networks
On January 9, the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation and ConnectRI initiative released the draft Rhode Island Digital Equity Plan for public comment. Through this plan, the Commerce Corporation is working to ensure that investment in digital equity efforts produces wholistic results—including widespread digital literacy and access to necessary devices as well as affordable, reliable, fast connectivity. The deadline for public comments on the draft plan is today, February 8, 2024. Rhode Island’s overarching vision and goal for statewide broadband and digital equity is to leverage a best-in-class, resilient, sustainable, and scalable broadband infrastructure to propel the state’s 21st century economic, education, healthcare, civic and social engagement, and quality of life, by ensuring all Rhode Islanders have access to affordable, accessible high-speed internet in their homes, at their places of employment, and at public facilities by 2027.
Cable and satellite TV companies are defending their early termination fees (ETFs) in hopes of avoiding a ban proposed by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC voted to propose the ban in December, kicking off a public comment period that has drawn responses from those for and against the rules. The FCC plan would prohibit early termination fees charged by cable and satellite TV providers and require the TV companies to give prorated credits or rebates to customers who cancel before a billing period ends. NCTA-The Internet & Television Association, the main lobby group representing cable companies like Comcast and Charter, opposed the rules in a filing submitted February 5. DirecTV and Dish opposed the proposal, too. The NCTA claimed that banning early termination fees would hurt consumers. "Discounted plans with ETFs are an advantageous choice for some consumers," the lobby group said. The NCTA said the video industry is "hyper-competitive," and that it is easy for customers to switch providers.
While the world awaits closing arguments later this year in the US government's antitrust case over Google's search dominance, a California judge has dismissed a lawsuit from 26 Google users who claimed that Google's default search agreement with Apple violates antitrust law and has ruined everyone's search results. Users had argued that Google struck a deal making its search engine the default on Apple's Safari web browser specifically to keep Apple from competing in the general search market. These payments to Apple, users alleged, have "stunted innovation" and "deprived" users of "quality, service, and privacy that they otherwise would have enjoyed but for Google’s anticompetitive conduct." They also allege that it created a world where users have fewer choices, enabling Google to prefer its own advertisers, which users said caused an "annoying and damaging distortion" of search results. In an order granting the tech companies' motion to dismiss, US District Judge Rita Lin said that users did not present enough evidence to support claims for relief. Lin dismissed some claims with prejudice but gave leave to amend others, allowing users another chance to keep their case—now twice-dismissed—at least partially alive.
Lumen Technologies reported results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2023. Highlights for the fourth quarter include:
- Reported Net Loss of $(1.995) billion for the fourth quarter 2023, which included a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $1.9 billion, compared to reported Net Loss of $(3.069) billion for the fourth quarter 2022, which included a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $3.271 billion
- Reported Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities of $784 million for the fourth quarter 2023
Highlights for the year as a whole include:
- Reduced Net Debt by $1.6 billion
- Reported Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities of $2.160 billion for the full year 2023
It’s been over a year since AT&T and investment firm Blackrock established their Gigapower joint venture to build open access fiber networks and set a goal of reaching 1.5 million locations within 18 months. Until now, the company has made relatively few moves on that front. But that’s set to change soon, according to Gigapower CEO Bill Hogg. The company is now offering service in four of six markets that were previously announced, including two in Florida, as well as Las Vegas and the Mesa, Arizona area. Gigapower announced its seventh market—Albuquerque—where Hogg expects to see customers connected before the end of the year. Hogg noted that the company's strategy is "to be the first fiber provider; it usually puts us up against cable as the next closest competitor.” And with symmetrical speeds up to 5 Gigabits per second, Hogg said Gigapower is well positioned to compete against cable.
Benton (www.benton.org) provides the only free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband, while connecting communications, democracy, and public interest issues. Posted Monday through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments, policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are factually accurate, their sometimes informal tone may not always represent the tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang (headlines AT benton DOT org), Grace Tepper (grace AT benton DOT org), and Zoe Walker (zwalker AT benton DOT org) — we welcome your comments.
© Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 2023. Redistribution of this email publication — both internally and externally — is encouraged if it includes this message. For subscribe/unsubscribe info email: headlines AT benton DOT org
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