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Bill is a veteran living in Arizona and is just one of the 522,000 Affordable Connectivity Program subscribers across the state. He said the benefit helped keep him connected to the internet, but he will lose online access if this program is not renewed.
“As a veteran, losing the internet would be disastrous for me,” he said.
The Affordable Connectivity Program offered discounted internet access to over half a million households in Arizona. However, the program will end this month, decimating internet access for residents in marginalized communities across the state and affecting commerce nationwide.
Ilana Lowery
The ACP is a $14.2 billion federal program funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Eligible households receive a monthly discount of up to $30 or $75 on tribal lands. Enrollment was frozen in February; however, program funding will run out by May if the federal government does not renew it.
Common Sense Media has been deeply engaged in local efforts to ensure lower-income families have—and maintain—access to the internet. Despite the groundswell of momentum for qualifying households to subscribe to the program, the rug was pulled out from ACP outreach efforts when the FCC announced in mid-January that the ACP would be winding down.
Despite the February pause on ACP outreach, more than 522,000 Arizona households currently rely on ACP to help pay for internet access. Increased access doesn’t end with ACP enrollees. Communities with higher rates of ACP enrollment also had higher growth rates in broadband subscriptions overall, proving that the ACP increased broadband adoption writ large. Our own research found that ACP is key to maximizing the use of BEAD funds supporting rural broadband deployment efforts by driving down the cost of buildout by 25% per household.
That means increased access to health care, jobs, and education. A recent FCC consumer survey found that 80% of individuals cited “affordability” as the reason for having inconsistent or no service. According to the data, 77% of respondents would lose internet access or downgrade to a lower-quality service without continued ACP benefits; 72% of ACP participants go online for virtual health care appointments, almost half are applying for jobs or working remotely online; and 75% of users between 18 and 24 years old use their ACP benefits to complete schoolwork.
Congress can still act to save ACP. In January, the ACP Extension Act of 2024 was introduced in the House to provide the short-term funding necessary to continue the program through 2024 and keep half a million people in Arizona connected. The ACP Extension Act is overwhelmingly popular, garnering the support of over 224 Congressional co-sponsors and 400 organizations. The extension bill is bipartisan, with 64% of Republicans and 95% of Democrats supporting the measure to keep enro …
