May 11, 2023

In advance of today’s Congressional hearing, CSAC submitted a letter to the United States Congress requesting continued funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The program’s current rate of expenditure is roughly $500 million per month. Based on this and projected growth, funding for the ACP could be exhausted by the second quarter of 2024 (“ACP Enrollment and Claims Tracker,” Universal Service Administrative Company (last accessed Apr. 14, 2023), https://www.usac.org/about/affordable-connectivity-program/acp-enrollment-and-claims-tracker/#total-enrolled).

Lack of high-speed internet access among low-income people, communities of color, and other underserved communities is of particular concern to CSAC, and ACP has proven critical in getting households in these communities online. This federally funded initiative offers a $30 monthly discount on home internet (up to $75 per month for households on qualifying tribal lands) and a one-time discount of up to $100 for a computer or a tablet. Any household that participates in the free and reduced-price school lunch program, CalFresh or SNAP, Lifeline, the Pell Grant, WIC (Women, Infants & Children), Medi-Cal, Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit, Federal Public Housing Assistance, or Supplemental Security Income is eligible for the ACP benefit.

Without action from Congress this year, millions of households could immediately lose internet service. CSAC’s letter to congress is available here.