Low-income

On May 2, 2024, New Street Research Policy Advisor and Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Blair Levin testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband at a hearing entitled The Future of Broadband Affordability.

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) awarded $1,481,167 to help Wisconsin residents access essential telecommunications services. The PSC awarded a total of 24 grants from the 2024 rounds of the Nonprofit Access Grant Program, the Lifeline Outreach Grant Program, and the Telemedicine Equipment Grant Program, all of which are funded by the Universal Service Fund (USF). The USF was created to promote and assist with the availability and affordability of telecommunications services in Wisconsin. 

 The Affordable Connectivity Program provided a way to bridge the digital divide for over 23 million US households, but congressional inaction has led to its unfortunate end. The consequences will be devastating. Soon, many underserved families in rural and urban communities alike will have to make the difficult sacrifice of losing access to telehealth services, online learning, employment opportunities, and so much more. Reliable broadband is essential to our way of life and economy. Without it, millions of families relying on the ACP for internet access will be left out and left behind.

“It is incredibly disappointing and just plain shameful that one of the most successful bipartisan programs to close the digital divide has lapsed. Every Congressional district in the country had constituents benefiting from this program, and still, Congress failed to deliver the funding needed to ensure that over 23 million households won’t lose connectivity. While the efforts made by the program's most ardent supporters in both Chambers were commendable, the resulting lapse of ACP makes it clear that the Congressional appropriations process is ill-suited for funding affordable broadband.

At the end of May, the Affordable Connectivity Program, which helps over 23 million low-income households access high-speed internet at home, officially ran out of funding. This lapse occurs despite strong support from the White House and lawmakers of both parties, as well as the backing of four out of five Americans. The focus must now shift to delivering a long-term fix. Fortunately, the solution is staring us in the face.

The overarching goal of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, established by Congress in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, is to deploy broadband networks that reach every American and provide access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet. Congress decided to allocate BEAD funds to states and territories since they are best situated to determine the needs of their communities, but it did not change any existing federal authority to oversee broadband or pricing.

The end of the ACP will undo the significant progress we have made toward closing the divide and harm millions of Americans. Not only that, but it will have economic and competitive consequences for our country if we fail to maximize the $42.5 billion investment we’ve made in broadband infrastructure through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program. It is, as they say, penny wise and pound foolish. Connectivity has never been more important.

Astound is the latest service provider to announce a low-income ACP (Affordable Connectivity Program) replacement service.

May 31st is the final day that households will receive any benefit from the Affordable Connectivity Program on their internet bills. Without Congressional action to extend funding for the program, millions of households are now at risk of losing their internet connections.

Today, the bipartisan Affordable Connectivity Program expires.  This will cause real harm to millions of Americans.  ACP is the most effective program we have ever had in closing the digital divide.  Over 23 million households enrolled in ACP, realizing the benefits of affordable, high-speed broadband.  And now we are leaving them behind. Let’s put that 23 million in context.  That’s one in six households in the country.  Millions of veterans, seniors, families of color, and households with children.