NextLight, a community-owned fiber service provider in Longmont, Colorado, says its Internet Assistance Program (IAP) — a substitute for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) — has experienced a 14% increase in subscribers in the year since its introduction.
The IAP is an effort to provide broadband to economically challenged households. It was introduced in April, 2024 as the ACP was about to be terminated. The service provides a $25 discount to qualifying households. It launched with 906 subscribers and now has 1,034.
“For families across Longmont, having a high-speed internet connection isn’t optional — it’s vital,” NextLight Executive Director Valerie Dodd said in a press release about the company’s ACP replacement. “We want our NextLight community to know that when times get challenging, we can help them stay connected so that they can continue to work, study and thrive.”
Qualifying households can choose between a 100 Mbps connection for $14.95 per month or a gigabit connection for $44.95 per month. NextLight had offered a similar service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
NextLight said last June that IAP had launched with20 more subscribers than were taking advantage of the ACP.
The provider serves more than 28,000 subscribers in Longmont, which is north of Denver.
The telecommunications industry scrambled to support economically challenged households when the ACP was sunsetted last year. There were replacement programs from big providers and small.
One recent initiative to replace the ACP is a bill that was introduced by California Assemblymember Tasha Boerner. If the bill she introduced becomes law, “affordable home internet service” would cost no more than $15 per month and “minimum speed requirements” would be at least a 100 Mbps downloads and 20 Mbps uploads.
Last month Boerner told Telecompetitor she “always think[s] about the single mom working two jobs — and her kids still have to get online and upload their homework to Google Classroom.”
