Affordable Connectivity Program (was Emergency Broadband Benefit Program)

The No Home Left Offline Coalition has written to all 50 state governors, urging them to contact their congressional delegation to take action on renewing the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

State and federal programs have improved the availability of high-speed internet, but cost remains the primary barrier to broadband adoption for low-income households. To address this, the federal government has created consumer subsidies, such as those included in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), to ease cost burdens.

Congressional briefings are used to communicate information to policymakers in Washington, DC. Oftentimes, they highlight stakeholder views on government programs and proposals. However, they rarely include local officials who can provide community-based insights. On July 19, 2023, Next Century Cities invited broadband leaders from Texas, Ohio, Maryland, and Massachusetts to Washington, DC. Speakers shared community impact stories and administrative needs for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Key takeaways include the following: 

As an end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) funding looms, a congressional briefing was held to discuss what an end to the program could mean and its importance for achieving digital equity. Estimates from the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation predict th

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society hosted an "Ask Me Anything" webinar on our Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Enrollment Performance Tool. During the webinar, Revati Prasad, Benton Institute Director of Research and Fellowships, John Horrigan, Benton Senior Fellow and developer of the ACP Tool, and Elena Saltzman, Civic Nation's Director of Campaigns, talked about program performance, how to best focus ACP outreach and enrollment efforts, and fielded questions by those in the virtual room.

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced changes to her leadership team, as well as the addition of a new Legal Advisor. Chairwoman Rosenworcel announced the departure of Umair Javed from her team and the agency more broadly. Effective as of July 20th, 2023, Priscilla Delgado-Argeris will serve as Chief Counsel, Ramesh Nagarajan will assume the role of Chief Legal Advisor, and Rashann Duvall will join the Chairwoman’s team as Acting Legal Advisor on the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and other wireline issues.

At the July 16-19, 2023 summit of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), the organization passed a resolution supporting permanent funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). In its resolution, NARUC acknowledged that there were $8.6 billion of remaining ACP appropriations available for disbursement as of June 2023 and that the program is expected to run out of funding by the second quarter of 2024.

One of the things that I don’t hear discussed enough is that some of the internet service providers (ISP) chasing rural broadband grants have high broadband rates. I’m curious how much emphasis State Broadband offices will put on the retail rates of grant applicants when evaluating grant winners. The two most easily identified ISPs with high broadband rates are Charter and Comcast. Charter rates for standalone basic broadband are now over $90 in many markets, and Comcast is nearing $100 per month.

Governor Wes Moore (D-MD) launched the Maryland ActNow campaign in partnership with EducationSuperHighway, reaffirming the Moore-Miller administration’s commitment to closing the digital divide by extending broadband internet access to all Marylanders and making it more affordable.

New broadband funding programs necessitate dramatic reforms to old programs. In its report, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) recommends reversing the status quo and sustaining the Affordable Connectivity Program by shrinking the redundant hodgepodge of federal broadband programs. With so much at stake, it is more important than ever to ensure that broadband funding helps those who need it, and the right programs are sustainable. ITIF says that as things now stand, federal broadband programs are dangerously out of balance.