Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced it will end the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) on June 1, 2024 due to a lack of additional Congressional funding.
FCC had already imposed an enrollment freeze in early February to help with the accurate forecasting of funding exhaustion and to smooth the administration of the ACP’s end.
During the ACP wind-down process, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel sent letters to Congress stressing the importance of the program and the need for additional funding to keep the program going.
In a letter to Congress, Jessica Rosenworcel highlighted the need to support low-income families who struggle to pay for high-speed internet service and outlined the steps the Commission has taken to soften the impact that the conclusion of the ACP will have on enrolled households.
FCC is encouraging ACP providers to develop low-income programs of their own and to provide their ACP subscribers information on their low-income programs or low-cost plans.
FCC’s Lifeline program offers a $9.25 monthly benefit on broadband service for eligible households. Although the Lifeline benefit may alleviate some financial pressure for certain ACP households, it is not a replacement for the ACP. Not all ACP households will qualify for Lifeline, and by statute, many ACP providers are not eligible to participate in the Lifeline program.
The Affordable Connectivity Program provided support to over 23 million households at the time the program stopped accepting new enrollments.
