The following content is sponsored by the American Consumer Institute.
The days when internet access was a luxury are long gone. Everyone who wants to be connected should be connected, and the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has proven to be a key tool – helping tens of millions of American households with limited resources get affordable service. However, the benefits of being connected will slip away in a matter of months if Congress doesn’t move quickly to extend funding. With funding estimated to run out by April, it is now crunch time.
The ACP is a federal program that was created in 2021 as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). It plays a key role in bipartisan efforts to break down barriers so all Americans can be connected to broadband. The ACP focuses on affordability, providing eligible, low-income households with a $30 per month discount on home or mobile internet service, or up to $75 a month for households on tribal lands. The ACP also provides a one-time $100 benefit that can be applied to the purchase of a computer, tablet, or other electronic device that provides internet connectivity. Additionally, program participants have the freedom to choose the broadband service options that best suit their needs and can switch providers at any time. This is a big deal for consumers and puts them in the driver’s seat.
In little more than two years of operation, the ACP has helped over 22 million American families pay for broadband. This connectivity is enabling kids to do their homework, helping working parents find jobs or gain new job skills, and assisting seniors in accessing the services they have earned and the healthcare they need.
Steve Forbes aptly called the ACP a “hand-up” that will make America more competitive. What he said one year ago still rings true today: People in need “want a hand-up that will enable them to improve their circumstances and lead more productive, successful lives. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is giving workers, students and families the hand-up they need to compete in the connected 21st century digital economy.”
Unsurprisingly, enrollment continues to climb as more eligible households learn about this critical program. And it’s climbing in places where it is needed most – like rural America. Consumers there need access to education, employment, healthcare, information, and entertainment, just like everyone else. But it may not be close enough when they need it. Broadband bridges that gap if they have access. A notable rural voice, The National Grange, recently told Congress that the ACP is “playing an outsized role in bridging the digital divide in rural America and beyond” when it called on leaders to make the program permanent.
Another group that is benefiting from the ACP is veterans. In a letter to its Congressional delegation in support of the ACP, the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce warned that the implications of the ACP expiring would be “severe and far-reaching.” One reason why is access to benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. As Walter Prescher with Easter Seals Greater Houston explains, veterans have to access those benefits online.
The benefits of the ACP and its supporters go far beyond rural and veteran voices. Polling consistently shows widespread, bipartisan support for the ACP, with a survey of 1,000 voters finding that over three-quarters want the ACP to continue. Additionally, there’s bipartisan support from Governors and Members of Congress. The time is now for Congress to take that momentum and move it forward to save the ACP.
We’ve studied many federal programs that are designed to help disadvantaged Americans, and the ACP has truly proven to be one of the more effective at delivering robust consumer benefits at minimal cost to taxpayers. Congress should do the right thing and immediately extend this critical program. While a permanent extension would be preferable, even a modest multi-year extension would give Congress the time it needs to identify future revenue streams. Only by doing nothing will Congress fail the millions of Americans who have come to rely on the program for their online connections.
For more information about the ACP and why it should be saved, visit our site at ACPConnects.com.
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