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Our Best Tool to Close the Digital Divide is Expiring
We cannot let Congress undo the gains made by the Affordable Connectivity Program.
Nearly a third of Americans who do not have broadband say the reason is because it costs too much.
Our Congress will let that figure rise dramatically if they fail to renew funding for the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program, or ACP. The program has stopped accepting new applicants and will come to an end next month unless Congress takes action.
Through the program, more than 23 million households receive either reduced bills or effectively free internet service. The shutdown of the ACP would hurt communities of color the most, with over 30 percent of Black families lacking home internet.
Access to affordable internet isn’t just about surfing the web — or perhaps more apt for current times, scrolling social media. High-speed broadband is a gateway to education, job opportunities, healthcare and so much more.
By taking this important program away from low-income families, Congress is not only driving up costs for an already vulnerable population, but potentially taking away their educational, employment and economic opportunities as well. If Congress is serious about both closing the digital divide and achieving racial equity, they will act now to keep the ACP up and running.
Launched in 2021 as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the ACP has been a resounding success, not only for helping families across the country afford reliable connectivity, but in incentivizing internet service providers to build it.
Too often, low-income and rural communities are overlooked by providers when they determine where to upgrade and expand high-speed service because they are viewed as a customer base who cannot afford to pay. Thanks to the ACP, these communities have become empowered customers, and internet service providers are now building strong, long-lasting connections to previously unserved and underserved areas.
At the Communications Workers of America, we represent tens of thousands of broadband workers who are building and maintaining this nationwide network. They are speaking with families and community members every day, hearing stories about unaffordable internet services and bad connectivity — and they have seen the direct benefits of the ACP in our cities, suburbs and rural areas.
Like when the federal government built electricity for everyone, ACP is an investment into critical services and jobs that has brought millions of Americans who were previously being left behind into the 21st century, and it is a critical part of supporting Black and Brown families and addressing economic inequality.
The loss of ACP would not only cut off these families, it would undercut the financial viability of networks being planned under the Infrastructure Act’s broadband deployment funding, causing providers to build less and leave more people behind. Affordable connectivity is truly one of the most important and most overlooked racial and economic justice issues of our time.
Discontinuing the ACP is an attack on the ability of communities of color to access healthcare, online education and better job opportunities. It would be a huge step backwards for our country. Hundreds of thousands of Americans could lose access to the life-saving services they need, from telehealth to remote work and online education.
Despite the success of the ACP, its bipartisan appeal, and the widespread need for affordable connectivity, Congress has not been able to move forward on funding for the program. We need our lawmakers to treat the internet as the essential resource that it is, and use our public dollars to help bridge the racial and economic gaps that may keep people offline.