The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has been a popular way to lower internet costs for families in need. The federal program, launched in 2021, provided a $30 monthly internet discount (or $75 on tribal lands) for qualifying households on public assistance. But at the moment, the ACP is running out of funding due to congressional budget delays and may end within the next few weeks.
Did your family rely on the ACP for internet service? Are you shopping around for affordable internet plans? Here’s what you need to know about the end of the ACP.
What is the Affordable Connectivity Program?
The ACP is a federal subsidized internet program that was launched in 2021. The program offers a $30 monthly internet discount (or $75 on tribal lands) on internet plans with speeds up to 100Mbps.
Households could enroll in the ACP if they participated in assistance programs like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or Veterans Pension. More than 23 million households nationwide are enrolled in the ACP.
Why is the ACP ending?
Congress allotted $14.2 billion to fund the ACP when it launched the program in 2021. However, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says the program is projected to run out of funding by April 2024.
Industry analysts say it’s increasing unlikely that Congress will be able to renew the ACP amid larger federal budget fights. As a result, the FCC is preparing for the ACP’s potential shutdown, and the program stopped processing applications in early February.
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Could the ACP come back?
The FCC and internet providers (ISPs) are preparing for the ACP’s worst-case scenario, but the ACP technically isn’t dead yet. If Congress simply renews funding for the ACP, the program will be back and able to run beyond April 2024. Last October, the White House called on Congress to give the ACP a $6 billion funding extension through the end of 2024.
The ACP also has a rare level of bipartisan support among voters and Congress. A March 2023 poll from the Digital Progress Institute, a tech policy think tank, found that a majority of Democrats and Republicans were in favor of the ACP. Last January, a bipartisan group of senators and representatives introduced a $7 billion funding bill to keep the ACP running. However, the bill has yet to gain traction in Congress, and the ACP was left out of Congress’s 2024 budget planning.
I have ACP internet. What’ll happen to my internet discount?
If you’re currently an ACP enrollee, don’t worry about your discount just yet. As long as you’re already in the ACP, you’ll still get your ACP internet discount for February and March 2024. According to the FCC, the ACP will provide a partial bill credit to providers for April if ISPs choose to accept it. But after May, the FCC expects the ACP to shut down fully.
The FCC has just recently released reimbursement estimates for May, which is the last month where ACP reimbursement can be requested. The numbers won’t be finalized until early April, but households should expect to receive around $7–$16 instead of the typical $30 credit.
At the moment, keep an eye on your email or mailbox. Assuming that the ACP’s funding hasn’t been renewed, the FCC says that ISPs will start sending out notices to ACP-enrolled households this month with the following information:
- A confirmation that the ACP will end.
- How much your internet bill will increase by.
- The date of your last bill with an ACP discount.
- A confirmation that you can cancel your internet service and move to another plan. (You won’t be locked into a regular internet contract with your ACP internet provider if the ACP ends.)
Where can I get low-income internet discounts if the ACP ends?
In case the ACP ends, check out our low-income internet and student internet discount guides for the best ways to keep your internet subsidy. In the meantime, we have some big tips to start your savings search.
- Do you have cell phone service? Providers like T-Mobile, Verizon, and Spectrum offer discounted internet rates if you already have a qualifying cell phone plan.
- Get Lifeline. The FCC’s Lifeline program offers a smaller $9.25 monthly internet discount with similar eligibility requirements as the ACP.
- Check your ISP’s alternative plans. Many providers have subsidized internet programs like Xfinity Essentials and Spectrum Internet Assist that offer low monthly rates. Sometimes, providers may also offer prepaid internet plans with no price increase or contract requirements. In other cases, ISPs like AT&T are maintaining their $30 ACP internet plans but won’t offer a partial subsidy.
