Google Fiber Offers ACP Participants ‘Essentially Free’ 300 Mbps Service

Google Fiber (GFiber) is offering 300 Mbps service for $30/month to participants in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

As part of the ACP program, the FCC provides a $30/month subsidy for ACP customers, which essentially makes the Google Fiber offering free. The GFiber service includes symmetrical uploads and downloads of up to 300 Mbps and a Google Wi-Fi device, along with no data caps, no annual contract and dedicated customer service.

Although the GFiber ACP offering is more generous than some other ACP offerings, GFiber isn’t the most generous. Underline, for example, lays claim to that, offering 500 Mbps to ACP customers.

To get the GFiber service, a customer must first qualify through the FCC. Once qualified, the customer then must fill out the GFiber ACP Subsidy form and select 300 Mbps as the service plan.

The Affordable Connectivity Program, which has a budget of $14.2 billion, was established in the bipartisan infrastructure bill adopted late in 2021. As required by the bill, the FCC transitioned from the Emergency Broadband Benefit program (EBB) to ACP at the beginning of 2022. The popular EBB program was put in place in 2021 to help households connect or retain connectivity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to paying up to $30 toward the cost of monthly broadband service for low-income households, the ACP pays $75 to tribal recipients and offers equipment discounts.

With Digital Inclusion Week coming up Oct. 2–6, the necessity of the ACP has never been clearer, Google said in a blog post. Because more than 20 million American households are using these funds to stay connected to work, school, family and more,  GFiber has been encouraging Congress to renew the ACP funding. Some industry observers expect the funds to run out by the middle of 2024.