ACP funds to expire

Within about a year, it’s estimated that funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which plays a key role in addressing the digital divide, will expire. While the ACP’s expiration would threaten connectivity for over 18 million households across the country, the most negative impact would be felt in rural communities.

The ACP’s expiration would greatly harm the affordability efforts that’ve been made over the past few years in rural areas. Starting with the Trump Administration’s Emergency Broadband Benefit, which then transitioned to the ACP, over the last few years federal broadband affordability programs have been key to enabling low-income, rural Americans to afford the internet. Data reflects this, as the states with the highest program participation rates are red and rural.

ACP’s termination would also have a catastrophic impact on efforts to expand broadband infrastructure to rural regions that still lack access. The ACP plays a key role in complementing the BEAD Program, which will fund construction of broadband networks in rural unserved areas. A recent study found that the ACP reduced the investment needed to incentivize providers to build in rural areas by 25% per household. Without the ACP, these projects will cost significantly more and cause the program to be out of funding before rural Americans receive the service they need.

Congressional leaders must understand that without connectivity, rural communities will always be at a significant disadvantage. The ACP is crucial in bringing broadband to these communities, we must extend its funding before it expires.

Jim Potts,

Former Whitman County Commissioner