Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was tasked with developing and maintaining the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a federal program that offers eligible households a discount on their monthly internet bill and a one-time discount on the purchase of a laptop, desktop or tablet. The ACP was a $14.2 billion program that launched in December 2021, but after two and a half years of offering discounts on internet service and connected devices to low-income consumers, the funding that Congress initially made available to the ACP has already run out. As a result, as of June 1, 2024, the ACP has ended for now and the 23 million households enrolled in the program will no longer receive the ACP discount as in previous months.

‍

What happened to the ACP benefit?

Due to a lack of additional funding from Congress, April 2024 was the last month that ACP households received the full discount from this program, as in previous months, and some ACP households will receive a partial discount in May 2024 if their provider chooses to participate in the partial reimbursement month of May. The $14.2 billion that Congress initially made available to the ACP has been exhausted. Consequently, the ACP has ended for now. As of June 1, 2024, households will no longer receive an ACP discount.

‍

Determine how to continue with Internet service

‍The internet company may have asked ACP households if they wanted to continue with the service after the program ended. ACP households may have been asked this question when they signed up for the ACP discount with their internet company or more recently when the program was coming to an end.

Households with ACP should continue to receive internet service now that the ACP has ended if:

• They previously agreed to continue with their internet company's internet service after the ACP ended.
• They paid for their internet company's internet service BEFORE they started receiving the ACP discount.
• They currently contribute to the cost of their internet service even with the applied ACP discount.
  • This includes households that contribute to the cost of any part of the combined services (such as those offering voice, internet and text or video messaging and internet) that include internet service supported by the ACP.

ACP households may have had their internet service disconnected and no longer receive it now that the ACP has ended, if:

• They did not previously agree to continue with the internet service after the ACP ended.
• They have never paid their internet company for the service.

ACP households can make changes to their service after the ACP ends. If a household applied its ACP discount to an internet plan that has a service contract, the internet company cannot charge the household an early termination fee for terminating that service contract prematurely, even after the ACP has ended.

If a household is not sure whether or not they chose to continue receiving service from their internet company after the ACP ended, they should contact their internet company to discuss their options.

What should households do now that the ACP has ended?

Households are strongly encouraged to:

• Check your emails, text messages and postal mail for notices from your internet company.
• Contact your internet company. Ask how your internet bill has been affected by the end of the ACP. Ask if your internet company has a cheaper plan or a program for people with low incomes. When calling their internet company, households must have account verification and billing information.

Questions for Internet Companies

Here are some of the recommended questions that households should ask when contacting their internet company to discuss options now that the ACP has ended:

• How has my internet bill changed?
• Will I continue to receive Internet service (did I choose to continue it or not before)?
  • If so, how much will my out-of-pocket cost for internet service be?
  • If I have not chosen to continue receiving Internet service, what should I do if I want to continue receiving the service?
• Are there other low-cost internet plans or programs that meet my household needs?

Households should prepare to discuss with Internet companies how their home uses Internet service. For example, households should consider whether they are occasional or frequent teleworkers, if there are students at home with homework and the number of devices that support internet connection. Households should ask how much the internet plan recommended by the internet company will cost depending on their intended use. Households can search for broadband labels designed to provide clear, easy-to-understand, and accurate information about the cost and features of high-speed Internet services at any point of sale. For more information on how to review broadband labels, visit: broadband labels for consumers | Federal Communications Commission (fcc.gov).

Discounts available through the Lifeline Program

Households may also be eligible for the Program Lifeline from the FCC, which offers a discount of up to $9.25 a month on telephone, internet or combined telephone and internet services (up to $34.25 if you live on eligible tribal lands). Not all ACP beneficiaries will be eligible for Lifeline and not all ACP internet companies participate in the Lifeline Program. For more information on the difference between the ACP and the Lifeline Program, visit ACP_Wind-Down_Lifeline_Fact_Sheet.pdf (fcc.gov). For more information and to submit your request, visit lifeinesupport.org.

Visit the FFC website at www.fcc.gov/acp for future ACP updates if Congress provides additional funding.

To file a complaint about ACP billing and service issues, visit the FCC Consumer Complaint Center at https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov.