A program that has helped about 50,000 Long Beach residents access wireless internet since 2021 is scheduled to end at the end of April.
The city is reminding residents enrolled in the Affordable Connections Program (ACP) to check their providers and billing cycles and prepare for a return to regular rates.
The program was launched across the United States in 2021 to provide low-income residents with internet discounts of up to $30 per month through a $14.2 billion allocation from the federal government.
In Long Beach, 60% of residents eligible for the program enrolled. The program is scheduled to end at the end of his April, as federal funding has ended.
Long Beach’s Office of Technology and Innovation encourages residents to take the following steps:
- Please check your email or email from your Internet service provider frequently for more information and updates about your ACP benefits. Additional information is also available at affordableconnectivity.gov and fcc.gov/acp.
- To find out how termination of ACP will affect your monthly charges, please contact your internet service provider and then choose whether to opt in or out of your internet plan.
- Visit fcc.gov/acp for a list of frequently asked questions, available in English and Spanish, and other information about the ACP termination process, including what households need to know to maintain internet service after ACP termination. Please check the guidance.
- For additional questions about ACP termination and information about its benefits, please contact the Universal Service Administrative Co. (USAC) ACP Support Center at 877-384-2575.
“To avoid bill shock if you run out of funds, we strongly encourage everyone enrolled in ACP to contact their internet service provider to review their plan,” said Director of Innovation. Lee Eriksen said in an official statement.
On February 20, the Long Beach City Council adopted a resolution supporting the Affordable Connection Extension Act. If passed, it would provide $7 billion to continue the ACP program beyond this spring.
“Additional funding from the federal government will continue ACP and ensure registered residents and businesses continue to have low-cost internet access,” City Councilman Roberto Uranga said in an official statement. “This resolution reiterates our commitment to addressing the internet divide by encouraging Congress to support closing the digital divide.”
