(NewsWorthy.news) – A bipartisan internet and phone service government program will run out of funding next month and not be renewed.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) first launched the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) in 2021 to help millions of low-income American households have internet access. It offers eligible families internet service at up to a $30 discount each month. Eligible families on tribal lands can receive $75 off every month.
According to the federal agency, however, the ACP is coming up on the end of its tenure. The FCC reportedly stopped accepting new applications in February. April will be the last month that the program receives full funding.
The end of the program is expected to leave many citizens who are older, as well as those living in the rural South, with no access to the internet. Currently, 19% of ACP benefactors are families with senior citizens, 26% reside in rural parts of the country, and 41% are in the South. According to a Comcast and Benenson Strategy Group survey of 801 ACP enrollees, nearly half of the program’s participants are military families.
A former official with the FCC, Gigi Sohn, told the media that the reason the ACP is shutting down is what she described as “political gameplay.” She said that roughly 60 million citizens will be forced to “make hard choices between” using their money to fund internet access or food or rent. She emphasized the reality that the program will end because of “politics, not policy.”
The last month of the ACP comes after the White House called for an extension on the program in February. The Biden administration has worked to ensure the president’s promise of providing reliable internet access to every American household.
Although a bipartisan bill was introduced to keep the program alive through the end of 2024, it has made little progress in Congress, which is divided on the issue despite previous bipartisan support.
According to an FCC fact sheet about the end of the program, the $14.2 billion designated by Congress to fund the ACP will mostly run out in April. Unless additional funding is provided, May would be the last month for potential partial discounts accounted for by the last of the funds.
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