Could the Affordable Connectivity Program Make a Comeback? All you need to know

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a popular government program providing low-income households with monthly internet costs, widely supported by 78% of US voters.

(Credit: CNET)

Affordable Connectivity Program: One finds it difficult to name many government programs that enjoy such broad popularity as the Affordable Connectivity Program. The program offers low-income households $30 a month (or $75 for those residing in tribal territories) to help with home internet costs.

According to CNET, the ACP is used by almost 1 in 5 US households with internet subscriptions, and voters nearly always approve of it. According to Public Opinion Strategies and RG Strategies, polling, 78% of voters—64% of Republicans, 70% of independents, and 95% of Democrats—want to see the ACP extended.

A recent study by the Chamber of Progress says that if the program ends, ACP customers will also lose $10 billion in job opportunities, $1.4 billion in savings from telemedicine, and $627 million in student benefits.

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A recent study from the Chamber of Progress said that ACP users will lose important job opportunities, healthcare savings, and student benefits if the program ends. This shows that the program is very important for many people.

Congress is stuck, so it’s not clear what will happen to the ACP, even though it’s popular and has clear benefits.

Should nothing be done, in May ACP recipients will have their monthly support cut to just $14 and receive no further help. President Joe Biden and Sen. J.D. Vance are among the powerful people from both parties who have called for quick action.

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New legislation that Congress has presented in response to the urgency surrounding the program’s expiration has given it some life. “It would be a significant waste of government funds to let this program lapse,” said Sen. Ben Ray Luján, chair of the Senate Commerce broadband subcommittee, during a hearing on May 2.

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The Senate Commerce Committee chair, Washington Democrat Sen. Maria Cantwell, has taken the initiative to try to include ACP financing into a bill that is already in committee. This calculated action shows that the program will continue. It would mean letting all of the work and money the federal government and our state and local partners have spent into putting up the program and enrolling 23 million households go to waste, Cantwell said.

The ACP’s instability shows how much bipartisan cooperation is needed to survive. Sen. Cantwell is trying to include ACP funds in current legislation, which may help preserve this vital program.

Eduvast Desk