The Affordable Connectivity Program Kept Them Online. What Now?

A group of bipartisan US senators and representatives have called for an additional $7 billion that would extend the Affordable Connectivity Program through the end of 2024. The White House has expressed support, but the proposal hasn’t yet advanced in Congress. In the meantime, some ISPs are offering short-term subsidies and new discount plans to try to support low-income households that were previously relying on ACP.  First implemented in 2021, the ACP was part of a massive, $1.2 trillion Biden administration deal called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. It provided $14.2 billion to make high-speed internet more affordable for low-income households. If a family’s income was less than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guideline, they could claim a $30 credit on their monthly broadband bill. Households on designated Tribal lands were eligible to receive up to $75 per month. The ACP was considered the largest and most successful broadband affordability program in US history by the Federal Communications Commission and initially was set to last five years. But demand for the program was higher than expected, and the FCC said earlier in 2024 that it would have to wind down the program two years earlier than planned because funds had run out.