Digital Divide

Continuation of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) in some form seemed assured, and advocacy and industry groups support it, but opposition is growing. Opponents so far have been concentrating on the obvious:

Excess Telecom, the nation’s largest privately held provider of internet service through the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), announced its unequivocal support of the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act, a bipartisan and bicameral bill that would provide $7 billion in additional funds for the ACP.

Millions of older Americans receive federally funded discounts for high-speed internet, and AARP wants to ensure that support continues. We wrote to congressional lawmakers in favor of the Affordable Connectivity Extension Act of 2024. This new legislation would provide $7 billion in funding to ensure the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides high-speed internet discounts, will continue past April. That’s when the project’s funding is predicted to run out. The program has helped more than 22 million lower-income households afford high-speed internet.

One of the stickiest issues that State broadband offices are going to be wrestling with is how to recognize the service areas for ISPs that use licensed spectrum to deliver rural broadband. This issue comes from a ruling from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration that, for purposes of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program grants, fixed wireless networks using unlicensed spectrum are deemed to be unreliable.

In 2022, Governor Ned Lamont (D-CT) called on the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology within the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) to lead the State’s efforts around digital equity. In late 2023, the commission released its draft digital equity plan, Connecticut: Everyone Connected, for public comment.

Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) invites proposals from eligible internet service providers to take part in the new Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Subrecipient Support Program, which provides funds to promote the ability of various entities to participate in the BEAD Program. The program provides needs-based grants to assist in preparing a BEAD application. Awards range from $10,000-$200,000 to be used for planning, analysis, stakeholder engagement, collaboration, and short-term capacity necessary to plan and draft an application to the BEAD program.

Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) announced a $10 million state grant to help deliver affordable broadband to every home in the city of Cleveland. DeWine and Lt. Gov.

The fate of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) hangs in the balance. Amid warnings that the internet subsidy program will shut down this spring without additional funds, Congress proposed legislation that would allocate another $7 billion to the ACP pool. But chances of the bill becoming law is “significantly below 50%,” said New Street Research’s Blair Levin. The $7 billion allotment is slightly higher than the $6 billion figure the Federal Communications Commission requested, saying it would extend ACP benefits through the end of the year.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) announced requirements and guidance for the wind-down of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).  The FCC currently projects that the last month for which the ACP can fully reimburse providers for the ACP benefits provided to enrolled households is April 2024. Should Congress not appropriate additional money, the existing funds will be exhausted, the FCC will have to end the ACP, and providers will stop providing discounts to enrolled households.

While continuing to fight for Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) funding, we must also prepare for a future without the program if Congress doesn’t act. We spoke with NDIA community members about what you need to help consumers transition off of ACP.  On January 8, NDIA officially filed a letter with the Federal Communications Commission sharing your needs and requests and advocating for what consumers and organizations working with ACP recipients need in this challenging time. Our requests to the FCC: