Frequently Asked Questions

 

  • The ACP has come to an end due to the lack of funding, however this does not mean it’s the end. With enough efforts, and a strong collective voice from the public, the ACP can potentially be extended and reinstated to the 23 million households who depended on it.

    For more information about the ACP wind-down refer here: https://www.affordableconnectivity.gov/

  • There are currently a few bills in Congress and the Senate that can be a direct path for short-term funding of the ACP. 

    In order for funding for the ACP to be extended: 

    1. The U.S. House of Representatives must vote on and pass H.R.6929 - Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024 by simple majority of (218 of 435).

    2. The U.S. Senate must vote on and pass S.3565 - Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024 by a simple majority (51 of 100).

    3. Finally, a conference committee made of House and Senate members works out any differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill.

    4. The bill is sent to the President for their signature. 

    There’s a new bi-partisan bill in the Senate (S4317) that has just been introduced. It’s led by Senator Lujan and currently co-sponsored by Senators: Vance (R-OH), Welch (D-VT), Wicker (R-MS), Rosen (D-NV), Daines (R-MT), Fetterman (D-PA), and Cramer (R-ND). This bill will help renew the ACP and reconnect the millions of people who depended on it.

    H.R. 8466, the Affordable Connectivity Program Improvement and Extension Act of 2024, will replenish the Affordable Connectivity Fund with $6 billion by amending Section 521(4)(a) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024. This creates no additional taxpayer burden and is fully paid for through existing federal funding.

  • A broad coalition of digital inclusion policy advocates are currently exploring ways to establish a long term funding source for the ACP including potential funding through the Universal Service Fund (USF). However, modernizing the USF framework to include ACP also requires congressional action and a long implementation effort that cannot be accomplished by the time ACP funding is set to expire. Extending the funding for the program through the end of the year would give lawmakers the much-needed time to build consensus around a bipartisan set of reforms for the long-term health and funding of the ACP.

    The most effective thing that we can all do in this moment is educate Congress about the success and impact of the program and the critical need to #ExtendACP funding.

  • The ACP is administered by FCC and helps protect its customers by:

    • Enabling recipients to select the service plan that best matches their requirements

    • Ensuing thats customer, regardless of the credit status, may obtain supported broadband services

  • The ACP provided affordable high speed internet to qualifying households across the US. Not only has the Affordable Connectivity Program proven itself to be a practical investment delivering long term dividends in every sector, research has shown that higher levels of broadband adoption lead to higher incomes, and lower unemployment.

    ​​The Affordable Connectivity Program has accomplished more to drive social and economic development by bridging our country’s digital opportunity divide than any other stand-alone effort in our nation’s history. With over 23 million households previously enrolled across all 50 states, territories, and federally recognized Tribal Lands, the success, reach, and impact of the program were unmatched.

    Established originally as the Emergency Broadband Benefit and signed into law under President Trump, and then renamed by Congress as the Affordable Connectivity Program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act. This game-changing, market driven approach to expanding digital connectivity has effectively created new onramps to shared prosperity and economic growth nationwide.

    • Bill shock and service disruption:  All enrollees will experience some combination of bill shock, disconnections, financial sacrifice, service downgrades, and/or household debt. Any successor program will have to start from zero and rebuild in the shadow of Congress’ broken commitments.

    • Loss of flexible medical care: The FCC’s survey of ACP households revealed that nearly 75 percent of respondents aged 50 and over reported that they rely on their ACP-supported internet to access healthcare. When asked how they would respond if their broadband bill increased by $30, roughly three quarters of respondents in this age group reported that the increase would force them to make changes to the broadband service they receive with the ACP’s help, including canceling it completely. 

    • Impact to Veterans: Since its inception, the ACP has played a critical role helping low-income veterans obtain the connectivity they need for telehealth services from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as well as job training, employment and VA benefits. The end of the ACP would place these individuals at special risk of losing access to the broadband they need for telemedicine and modern healthcare and other important VA services.

    • Education loss for households with school aged children: the ACP has played an important role in addressing the Homework Gap and connecting households to new online learning opportunities. Failure to extend the ACP with new funding would cause internet service to once again become unaffordable for tens of millions of families – resulting in the biggest loss of internet connectivity ever, just as students prepare for final exams.

    • Worsen the digital divide in rural and Tribal areas: Households in rural and Tribal regions generally have lower broadband subscription rates and higher broadband costs along with higher poverty rates, as compared to non-rural and non-Tribal areas. Roughly 15 percent of all households in the program are from rural areas.

  • We need Congress to bring back the funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program through the end of the year.

    Write a letter to your representative!

  • Call congress! Send a letter or organize a sign-on letter! Share your ACP success stories!

    Links to ways you can help save ACP:

    To help extend the ACP and for more information, check out the

    #ExtendACP Toolkit

  • It's important to voice your support! The more you support, the more steam and momentum this new bi-partisan bill and other future bills gain! 

    We need your help to educate policy makers in Congress on the importance of bringing back the Affordable Connectivity Program to revert the catastrophic lapse in service for millions of households across the country.

  • Congressional champions who have signed on as sponsors of the two bills know that we appreciate their leadership to expand digital opportunity nationwide.

    Reach pro-economy (center-right) Republican Members of the House with education about how the ACP drove sustainable and inclusive economic growth and social progress.

 

A list of helpful links and key influencers is listed below for your reference:

  • Twitter handles:

List of twitter handles for House of Representatives.

List of twitter handles for Senate

  • List of House Co-Sponsers

Republican Co-Sponsors (22) ← We need help here

Democratic Co-Sponsors (202) ← and counting

 

Key Influencers: Policy Makers in Congress

 

What kind of impact did ACP have nationwide?

    • AK (24,784 households enrolled, 1 in 11 households)

    • AL (413,668 households enrolled, 1 in 5 households)

    • AR (215,017 households enrolled, 1 in 6 households)

    • AS (1,684 households enrolled, 1 in 6 households)

    • AZ (522,188 households enrolled, 1 in 6 households)

    • CA (2,945,282 households enrolled, 1 in 5 households)

    • CO (251,506 households enrolled, 1 in 9 households)

    • CT (186,531 households enrolled, 1 in 8 households)

    • DC (63,806 households enrolled, 1 in 5 households)

    • DE (52,446 households enrolled, 1 in 8 households)

    • FL (1,707,856 households enrolled, 1 in 5 households)

    • GA (722,473 households enrolled, 1 in 6 households)

    • GU (1,322 households enrolled, 1 in 30 households)

    • HI (60,721 households enrolled, 1 in 8 households)

    • IA (124,054 households enrolled, 1 in 11 households)

    • ID (53,962 households enrolled, 1 in 12 households)

    • IL (704,532  households enrolled, 1 in 7 households)

    • IN (425,968 households enrolled, 1 in 6 households)

    • KS (133,746 households enrolled, 1 in 9 households)

    • KY (455,685 households enrolled, 1 in 4 households)

    • LA (558,780 households enrolled, 1 in 3 households)

    • MA (367,884 households enrolled, 1 in 8 households)

    • MD (287,722 households enrolled, 1 in 8 households)

    • ME (98,639 households enrolled, 1 in 6 households)

    • MI (941,244 households enrolled, 1 in 4 households)

    • MN (244,916 households enrolled, 1 in 9 households)

    • MO (395,504 households enrolled, 1 in 6 households)

    • MP (3,218 households enrolled, 1 in 4 households)

    • MS (244,280 households enrolled, 1 in 5 households)

    • MT (54,539 households enrolled, 1 in 8 households)

    • NC (901,394 households enrolled, 1 in 5 households)

    • ND (17,742 households enrolled, 1 in 20 households)

    • NE (96,140 households enrolled, 1 in 8 households)

    • NH (38,859 households enrolled, 1 in 14 households)

    • NJ (337,969 households enrolled, 1 in 10 households)

    • NM (184,131 households enrolled, 1 in 5 households)

    • NV (276,024 households enrolled, 1 in 4 households)

    • NY (1,792,187 households enrolled, 1 in 4 households)

    • OH (1,157,054 households enrolled, 1 in 4 households)

    • OK (351,879 households enrolled, 1 in 5 households)

    • OR (238,974 households enrolled, 1 in 8 households)

    • PA (763,742 households enrolled, 1 in 7 households)

    • PR (664,623 households enrolled, 1 in 2 households)

    • RI (83,516 households enrolled, 1 in 5 households)

    • SC (415,680 households enrolled, 1 in 5 households)

    • SD (24,194 households enrolled, 1 in 14 households)

    • TN (429,621 households enrolled, 1 in 7 households)

    • TX (1,718,552 households enrolled, 1 in 7 households)

    • UT (75,088 households enrolled, 1 in 14 households)

    • VA (470,457 households enrolled, 1 in 7 households)

    • VI (6,780 households enrolled, 1 in 6 households)

    • VT (25,923 households enrolled, 1 in 11 households)

    • WA (358,024 households enrolled, 1 in 8 households)

    • WI (426,733 households enrolled, 1 in 6 households)

    • WV (128,571 households enrolled, 1 in 6 households)

    • WY (21,736 households enrolled, 1 in 11 households)

 

To help extend the ACP and for more information, check out the

#ExtendACP Toolkit