As ACP dies, White House announces service provider commitments

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) officially ends today, May 31.

The program, which has subsidized broadband for 23 million low-income households, failed to get re-funded by the US Congress, despite bipartisan support, a flurry of legislative options and a long lobbying effort by conservative and liberal organizations alike.

To that end, the White House on Friday announced agreements from 14 service providers to "voluntarily" offer their ACP subscribers "and other eligible households a high-speed internet plan for $30 per month or less, with no fees and data caps, until the end of 2024." Those providers include: Allo Fiber, Altafiber (and Hawaiian Telcom), Astound Broadband, AT&T, Comcast, Cox Communications, IdeaTek, Mediacom Communications, MLGC, Optimum, Spectrum (Charter Communications), Starry, Verizon and Vermont Telephone Company.

According to the White House, these providers "collectively cover up to 10 million ACP households."

Light Reading previously reported on planned post-ACP offerings from providers like Comcast and AT&T. Additionally today, Astound Broadband detailed its own "Internet First" offering of $9.95 per month for 50 Mbit/s and $19.95 per month for 150 Mbit/s; and three months free for new customers.

Keep hope alive?

Related:ACP funding lapse imminent despite various paths forward

The White House announcement appears to serve both as a temporary solution for some of the 23 million households losing their ACP benefit today, as well as a signal that the Biden administration still hopes to see Congress move forward with refunding the program.

"President Biden knows that even $30 is too much for some families, which is why he will continue calling on Congress to extend funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program," reads the White House fact sheet.

Nevertheless, the fact that the ACP was allowed to end, particularly amid the rollout of billions of dollars in federal broadband deployment funds, creates chaos for consumers and service providers alike.

"Despite more than 12 months of dedication from a bipartisan and bicameral cohort of lawmakers and more than 400 organizations representing a range of public, private, and community interests, efforts in Congress to extend the Affordable Connectivity Program have fallen short," Kathryn de Wit, broadband access initiative project director at The Pew Charitable Trusts, said in a statement. "We know cost is a key barrier to connecting low-income families to the internet, so without ACP we can expect most participating households to either downgrade or drop their plans altogether."