LANSING – A federal program that helps 937,000 Michigan households pay their internet bills is freezing new applications and could end this spring.
Established in 2021, the $14 billion Affordable Connectivity Program provides discounted internet to 22 million low-income households across the country. However, the one-time funding allocation is expected to run out in April, with only partial support available in May.
“The bipartisan Infrastructure Act created this program. It is the largest effort in our history to make broadband affordable across the country, but we is now on the brink of losing that success.” “Cutting millions of families off from jobs, schools, markets, and information is not the answer. We have gone too far with ACP and there is no turning back.”
The program provides eligible households with $30 a month in internet service and up to $75 a month for households living on tribal land.
But facing a funding cliff, the FCC began scaling back the program.
The Affordable Connectivity Program closed applications this week. Households enrolled in the program can only receive discounted services through their internet provider until funds run out. Internet companies then began notifying households about the planned end of the program. Further notifications will be sent during the last month when funds are paid in full.
According to research from BroadbandNow, approximately 42 million Americans lack access to broadband internet, due in part to infrastructure gaps. But nearly one-third of Americans who don’t have broadband say it’s because the internet is too expensive, the U.S. General Accounting Office reports.
The Biden administration says the disparities impact “underserved communities, rural areas, veterans, and older Americans.” About half of the households enrolled in the Affordable Connections program are military families. 4 million people are elderly. And about half are African American and Latino households.
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