A program to help low-income people pay for broadband ran out of money in May, putting millions of households at risk of losing their internet connections.
The Affordable Connectivity Program, enacted under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provided an internet service discount of up to $30 per month for most eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on tribal lands.
A bill to appropriate $7 billion to expand the program through fiscal year 2024 failed to reach a vote in the Republican-led House amid President Joe Biden's repeated calls to restore funding. That puts his promise to expand wireless broadband to every American in jeopardy.
More than 23 million households — 1 in every 6 — were enrolled in the program but haven't been able to get help since May 31.
"(The Affordable Connectivity Program) was tremendously successful in that 23 million families subscribed out of a possible 50 million," said Christopher Ali, a Pennsylvania State University telecommunications professor. "It was a failure because we failed to renew it, and we also failed to anticipate that it would be so successful."
PolitiFact rated Biden's promise as In the Works after he announced more than $42 billion in June 2023 for states to invest in high-speed internet through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program. Although Congress had approved funds for the program as part of the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, Biden's announcement included more specific information about how the money would be divided among states and territories. Since then, all eligible states and territories submitted funding proposals, and a number of states have received final approval. The money will likely be disbursed later this year.
To receive federal funds from the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program, states must offer a "low-cost broadband service option." Although the Affordable Connectivity Program is a separate initiative, many states incorporated its subsidies into their proposals to meet that requirement.
"Most states have folded ACP into their low cost calculation, so now all of these numbers are off," Ali said.
Analysis from Boston Consulting Group and Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that conducts media research, found that the Affordable Connectivity Program encouraged internet service providers to expand into lower-income communities by ensuring a customer base and a reliable return on investment.
In a May 2023 House hearing on oversight of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, asked administrator Alan Davidson whether the Affordable Connectivity Program's expiration would hurt the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program.
"The short answer is that it will," Davidson said.
A March 2024 Federal Communications Commission report said,"More work remains to ensure that all Americans have access to advanced telecommunications capability."
The report also said 24 million Americans lacked broadband access as of 2022.
Without the Affordable Connectivity Program, that number could rise. A recent Federal Communications Commission survey of program recipients shows that 77% of respondents said losing their discount would disrupt their internet connection by making them change their plan or drop their service.
The Biden administration pledged in May to "continue working to ensure everyone in America can access affordable, reliable high-speed internet."
However, Ali told PolitiFact that the Affordable Connectivity Program's expiration could significantly impede that goal.
"I do not think that with 42 billion given inflation, given the lack of ACP, that we are going to get to 100% connectivity," he said.
"Broadband is absolutely useless unless people can afford it."
Congress' failure to renew the Affordable Connectivity Program will significantly hinder Biden's ability to extend high-speed internet access to every American. We rate this promise Stalled.