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 ACP offered discounted internet access to over half a million households in Arizona. However, the program is set to end in April, decimating internet access for residents in marginalized communities across the state and affecting commerce nationwide.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 1 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 broad …
