Affordable Connectivity Program (was Emergency Broadband Benefit Program)

AARP urged Congress to support critical funding, included in the President’s domestic supplemental request, for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Affordable high-speed internet service is especially important for older Americans, many on fixed incomes, who have too often been left behind. The ACP, created by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, has helped more than 21 million households—including 9.3 million age 50 and older—get and stay online.

The upside to the House GOP’s 22 days of paralysis is that the election of Speaker Mike Johnson offers a reset.

The Administration continues to call on Congress to reach a comprehensive, bipartisan agreement to fund the Government, which is critical for a number of bipartisan priorities – including child care, nutrition assistance, public health, research and development, and national security.

The Parker Lecture matters because Everett Parker matters. He stood for justice and stood up to the FCC when it approved the license of a Jackson, Mississippi television station that was suppressing Black voices. He petitioned the agency to change course and he had something I think is common to all changemakers—tenacity. Because he took that case all the way to the Supreme Court. And he prevailed in a milestone decision that opened the door for an African American to lead WLBT and for more minority voices to be broadcast over the airwaves.

Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young released the final budget results for fiscal year (FY) 2023. Outlays for the Federal Communications Commission were $17.9 billion, $2.3 billion lower than the Mid-Session Review estimate. This is mainly due to lower-than-anticipated outlays for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and the Emergency Connectivity Fund for Educational Connections and Devices (ECF). Also, Universal Service Fund outlays were $498 million higher than anticipated.

Over the coming weeks, the Administration looks forward to continued engagement with members of both parties to reach a comprehensive, bipartisan agreement to fund the Government and invest in critical national priorities. As part of that process, the Congress has an opportunity and obligation to advance our national security by addressing critical needs that should earn bipartisan support. I am writing to provide you with the President’s request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 emergency supplemental funding for these key national security priorities.

We write to urge you to extend funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP); which provides over 21 million working families with financial assistance for broadband access; to help bridge the digital divide so they can continue to afford the broadband services they need for work, school, health care, and more. Should ACP funding not be extended, millions of Americans could be at risk of losing access to broadband. We would take significant steps backward in the progress we’ve already made to connect more Americans to the internet through additional federal broadband investments.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) introduced a bicameral bill that would increase access to broadband service for low-income urban and rural Americans.  The Promoting Access to Broadband Act would help states increase awareness and enrollment in the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline program and Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provide a monthly subsidy to help low-income households pay for their broadband and telephone service. The bill would:

Last month, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society staff, fellows, former fellows, and friends attended the 51st Telecommunications Policy Research Conference (TPRC) in Washington (DC). Benton Senior Fellow and Public Advocate Gigi Sohn delivered the keynote, Executive Director Adrianne Furniss awarded the

The City of Syracuse (NY), Community Broadband Network (CBN), and US Ignite launched the Surge Link, a high-speed Internet connectivity program. Surge Link aims to connect 2,500 underserved Syracuse families to high-speed, affordable broadband. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) subsidies make the no-cost service possible. US Ignite advised the City on the overall technology, deployment models, and funding strategy for Surge Link.