ACP Update and Call to Action

ACP Update and Call to Action 1-9-24

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) faces a critical juncture. In a letter sent out earlier this week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) estimates that funding for the ACP will only last until April 2024. Without any additional funding, the FCC will have to begin taking steps to end the program. The FCC is requesting $6 billion from Congress to continue the ACP through the end of 2024. Lawmakers in Congress have also introduced a bipartisan and bicameral measure to help extend the ACP that would allocate $7 billion for the program from unused Treasury funding. If the ACP were to end, millions would lose their access to the internet and their ability to participate in modern life. Losing the ACP also undermines the goals of other programs like the $42.45 BEAD Program and the overall effort to close the digital divide.

 

The ACP is a benefit program administered by the FCC to ensure that eligible households can afford to get broadband access. The ACP offers eligible households a $30 monthly discount on internet service and a $75 monthly discount to those living on qualifying Tribal lands. Nationwide, the ACP Enrollment and Claims Tracker website shows that the program assists over 22 million households, with 318,041 of those households located on Tribal lands. Cost is one of the biggest barriers to home internet access, and the ACP is a critical tool in overcoming that barrier. Many Tribal Nations who own and operate their own networks receive an additional benefit from the ACP; subsidies from the program come back to the Tribe and help sustain their networks.

 

The FCC also outlined its ACP wind-down plan in the event that additional funding is not secured in a timely manner. The plan states:

 

• No new ACP enrollments will be accepted after February 7, 2024, at 11:59 PM EST.
• Households that have enrolled with an ACP internet company before February 7, 2024, at 11:59 PM EST will continue to receive their ACP benefit until ACP funds run out as long as the household remains enrolled and eligible for the benefit.
• When ACP funds run out, households participating in the ACP will no longer receive the ACP discounts.
• During the wind-down period, ACP households will receive notices from their ISPs about the ending of ACP, the impact on their bill, their last bill that will receive the benefit, and an option to opt-out or change their service plan.

 

The FCC also established the following timeline:

 

• Late January 2024 - Information about the end of the ACP will go out from ISPs to households.
• February 7, 2024, 11:59 PM EST - The deadline for any new ACP applications and enrollments. This means that households must be approved and enrolled with an ISP by this date.
• April 2024 - The anticipated time frame for ACP funding to run out.

 

The following webinars will take place to give more information on the potential ACP wind-down. There will be time for questions during the webinar, and questions can be submitted to acpinfo@fcc.gov. 

 

• Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at 1:00 PM ET at the following link: https://fcc-gov.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_kAwILcEDTcG5c86YCnNQhg
• Thursday, January 18, 2024, at 1:00 PM ET at the following link: https://fcc-gov.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_kAx2_E2GQCGXYMwxSQCywg 

 

The continuation of the ACP is essential, and the program’s future is in the hands of lawmakers. If Congress cannot pass legislation to extend the ACP, then internet affordability efforts fall on states and internet providers who may not be able to offer the same affordability assistance as the ACP. Many community organizations, including Tribal organizations, support this latest bill to extend ACP funding. For more information, please visit the FCC’s ACP website. If you would like to voice your opinion on the continuation of the ACP, you may contact your Senator or Representative. Please continue to follow AIPI for updates on the ACP and other Tribal broadband issues.