The rising cost of living and dependence on internet connections during the COVID-19 pandemic led to the creation of the Affordable connectivity program in 2021. This program provided a $30 monthly subsidy for internet services from a participating ISP and a one-time $100 credit towards the purchase of a computer, tablet or phone. Although the plan was primarily intended to provide internet at home, the subsidy could even apply to many mobile phone subscriptions.
Unfortunately, since the program was not intended as a long-term solution, its funding has since dried up and stopped hiring members, although the FCC agreed to foot the bill through May 2024 to give the program time to find new funding if possible. Keep in mind that this was only partial financing, so the majority of those who signed up saw their discounts drop from $30 per month to just $14.
Is there a chance the program will be extended and do you have alternative options if you rely on the discount to pay for service? Let's take a closer look at that.
How many people currently depend on the ACS?
According to the FCC, 23 million U.S. households currently participate in the program, the vast majority of which live in rural areas. This makes sense for a number of reasons. First, rural communities tend to have more low-income citizens. Second, internet in rural areas can cost double, triple or more than what most people in the cities and suburbs pay. It's unclear what percentage of these users would lose internet service without the subsidy, although the FCC says more than 1,700 internet service providers will be affected by the change and “may lose service to households no longer supported by the program.” to block.”
Can the federal government extend the program any longer?
The only way the ACP countries can survive is if they can secure public funding. While several bills have been introduced to address this issue, at the time of this update (May 28, 2024), it seems increasingly unlikely that any of these bills will be able to save the program before the end of the month.
The big problem is that not every legislator was satisfied with the way the ACP countries were reported. Some Republicans claimed the country was not meeting its obligation to report statistics programs that help people afford the Internet or that most users paid for. broadband before its introduction, this obviously does not take into account the steady price increases of recent years. This led to disagreements across party lines, which is ultimately what has stood in the way of securing new funding.
Are there alternatives to the ACS?
Unfortunately, there are no official programs that can completely replace the ACP discount. You may be able to change your ISP to save some money, or you can do just that choose a cheaper telephone provider, but that's not a great long-term solution either and means you may have to put up with service that isn't as good as before.
While it seems unlikely that ACP will continue, it is possible that a new program will take its place, but it is unclear how long this will last. While not as helpful as ACP, there is one government program that can help, somewhat known as Lifeline Assistance Support.
If you are already using ACP, you may already have Lifeline Support, but that is not the case in all cases. This is an older program dating back to 1985 and was originally specifically aimed at providing subsidies for telephone services. It offers a much smaller discount than ACP (only $9.25 per month), but can be applied to both broadband and mobile internet plans. Unlike the ACS, this program will never expire because it is administered through the FCC and funded indefinitely by fees to major telecom companies. There are even free internet providers through the program, such as Insurance Wireless.
If you do not yet have Lifeline Assistance Support, you can sign up directly with the Lifeline website.