The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) has signed up 1 million households since launching its GetInternet.gov initiative in May, Vice President Kamala Harris announced this week.
The ACP, which was created in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides $65 billion in broadband funding, with the money used to provide eligible households up to $30/month (or $75/month on Tribal lands) off internet bills, as well as a one-time $100 discount off a connected device.
Some internet service providers are offering plans priced at $30 a month, enabling households that meet ACP requirements to have broadband service at no cost.
Earlier this year, the Administration said it had persuaded 20 providers to lower their broadband costs and/or increase broadband speeds with the goal of making internet service more affordable for “millions of American families” that qualify for the ACP.
The federal government has worked with local governments to get the word out about ACP. Among those efforts:
- Michigan texted about 1.3 million likely eligible Michiganders, gaining 25,000 new ACP enrollees.
- Albemarle County, VA includes a “P.S.” about GetInternet.gov in every client communication by county social service workers.
- Massachusetts recently texted more than 1 million Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) beneficiaries about GetInternet.gov, with enrollments doubling in five days.
- The city of New York sent backpack flyers about ACP home via 1,700 principals to reach about 1 million children who attend Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Community-Eligible Schools.
“Broadband infrastructure grant programs operated by the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Commerce are all requiring grant funding recipients to participate in the ACP, helping ensure federal funds are used to deploy networks that are actually affordable,” a White House fact sheet says.
Additionally, earlier this week, the FCC revealed a Your Home Your Internet pilot to help drive ACP awareness. The program will have a $10 million budget and targets federal housing assistance recipients.
