Millions of Americans Might Lose Internet Access Today. Here’s What You Need to Know

Today marks the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program, a landmark piece of US government legislation that aimed to make it easier for people to afford an internet connection in their homes. The program’s end marks a big shift, with the cessation of benefits set to affect millions of Americans who might need them most.

What Is the Affordable Connectivity Program?

In 2021, the US Congress passed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal. It was a massive, ambitious piece of legislation that aimed to shore up a variety of floundering industries, including transit networks, energy systems, and public utilities. The ACP was part of that deal. It set aside $14.2 billion to fund credits that could help low-income households afford high-speed internet. If a family’s household income was below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guideline per year, they were eligible for a $30 monthly credit on their broadband bill. People living on Tribal lands were eligible to receive up to $75.

Today, all that is going away.

It’s certainly not an ideal situation, considering that access to the internet is a necessity in modern society, especially in the post-Covid era, when remote work has been normalized. Not being able to get online can contribute to a widening digital divide, where people without internet access can fall behind socially and economically. Americans who have come to depend on the discount will see their internet bills spike and will potentially be forced to balance the increased cost with paying for food, rent, and other essential needs. Not to mention that many ACP beneficiaries had come to rely on getting their internet for free; initial urging by the White House led to many internet providers offering plans with minimum download speeds of 100 Mbps for $30 a month. Customers who were applying their ACP benefit to these plans were getting internet access for free. Starting tomorrow, they will have to start paying for it.

Why Is the ACP Expiring?

The problem is funding. Like with any federal funding, there’s a limit to how long a program can go on without being renewed by Congress. The Biden