As Congress works to hash out a federal budget, the Federal Communications Commission is warning that the Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides monthly subsidies to help American families pay for broadband services, will have to end unless it receives an additional influx of funding.
Federal emergency subsidies for broadband were established during the Covid-19 pandemic, when connectivity was particularly crucial for daily life and interactions. That Emergency Broadband Benefit program morphed into the ACP, which was established with more than $14 billion as part of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—the largest internet affordability-focused program in U.S. history, according to the FCC.
