SOUTHERN MARYLAND – The Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC benefit program that helps ensure that households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare, and more. At the end of April 2024, approximately 300,000 Maryland residents will no longer receive these services. For a lot of participants, it means not being able to do their remote work, connect with loved ones, or search for new jobs to apply.
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a $14.2 billion federal program created as part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. However, according to the non-profit EducationSuperHighway, just 220,614 of 779,981 eligible Marylanders were enrolled in the program as of April 2023. [1]
The Affordable Connectivity Program stopped accepting new applications and enrollments on February 7, 2024. The last fully funded month of the program is April 2024.
All ACP households enrolled at the time of the enrollment freeze, February 7, 2024, at 11:59 PM ET, will be able to remain enrolled through the final month of ACP service if they are not required to be de-enrolled under FCC rules.
As of February 2024, the total subscribers to the ACP were 5,536 for Charles County, 4,156 for St. Mary’s County, and 2,291 for Calvert County. The tri-county area will lose approximately 11,983 subscriptions by the end of April. [2]
Households that are de-enrolled from the program, such as for failure to use their ACP-supported service, will not be able to re-apply or re-enroll in the ACP during the enrollment freeze.
ACP-enrolled households are strongly encouraged to carefully review written notices from their internet company and the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), the ACP administrator, about the ACP wind-down.
Households are also encouraged to consult their internet company to learn more about how the end of the ACP will impact their internet service and bill. [3]
A bipartisan group of lawmakers recently proposed a bill to sustain the ACP through the end of 2024 with an additional $7 billion in funding — a billion more than Biden asked Congress to appropriate for the program at the end of last year. However, no votes have been scheduled to move the bill forward, and it’s unclear if the program will be prioritized in a divided Congress. [4]
“For President Biden, internet is like water,” said Tom Perez, senior adviser and assistant to the president, on a call on February 6, 2024. “It’s an essential public necessity that should be affordable and accessible to everyone.”
There are reliefs available, including Comcast programs that households can participate in.
“Comcast has been a proud supporter of the Affordable Connectivity Program since its launch nearly two years ago. We have also invested more than $20 billion in the past five years to build and maintain our network, which provides speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps. Xfinity customers should know that we have their back. If the federal government does not extend ACP, we will continue to offer a wide range of service options for the needs of all households – including Internet Essentials for $9.95/month and Internet Essentials Plus for $29.95/month – to keep Marylanders connected to what matters most.”
To learn more about the free, boosted speeds for all Comcast customers, click here, and to transfer ACP benefits, click here.
Consumers who qualified for the ACP benefit may be eligible for another Federal Communications Commission program called Lifeline, where qualified consumers can get up to $9.25 off the cost of phone, internet, or bundled services (up to $34.25 if they live on qualifying Tribal lands). [5]
To reach out to Congress for an extension of this program, click HERE.
Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com